Academic analysis of what constitutes soft and hard Hindutva will keep the intelligentsia busy forever but the principal actors of realpolitik understand they don’t have a chance of victory by standing outside the “Hindu framework”.

That’s the indisputable truth at least in the urban areas of Indore, assiduously developed as the RSS laboratory since Independence.

The revelation by many Congress workers here that Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi's critique of “Sanatan dharma” had created an unexpected opportunity for the BJP's revival came as a rude awakening. They said the RSS machinery swung into action in all the constituencies, playing the clip of the speech with Hindi translation and distributing pamphlets about how the Congress teamed up with forces that plan to finish off the Hindu religion.

“Though Indore is an impregnable BJP fortress because of an overwhelming Hindutva sentiment, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government had been completely discredited. Even BJP leaders felt pulling down the Kamal Nath government with the help of Jyotiraditya Scindia’s betrayal was wrong. High prices of essential items and recruitment scams sealed their fate. But suddenly this medicine comes from Tamil Nadu, enabling the BJP to step out of the ICU,” a young Congress worker said.

While the RSS-BJP’s pet rhetoric — “Hindu khatre mein hai (Hindus are in danger)” — always remains dormant in the heart of a significant section of the people, they hyped up Udhayanidhi’s remark by pointing out how Sanatan dharma is being compared to dengue and malaria and alleged that the vicious attack was sponsored by the “pro-Muslim Congress”. Even common people believe no candidate can survive in Indore without an overt Hindu religiosity.

Only those Congress candidates are said to be in contest who worked hard to demonstrate their Hindu identity. Sitting MLA Sanjay Shukla, who is locked in a fierce battle with BJP veteran Kailash Vijayvargiya in the Indore-1 constituency, is famous for organising religious congregations.

“He has organised seven Ayodhya yatras and several Bhagwat Kathas in the last few years. Each Bhagwat Katha costs Rs 25-30 lakh as public feasts continue for a week,” a shopkeeper in his constituency said.

Satyanarayan Patel from Indore-5 (Dabalpur), another Congress MLA who is tipped to win, not only organised Bhagwat Katha several times but also distributed thousands of Shivlings in his constituency. “There was a seven-day Pran Pratishtha function for these Shivlings in every home. Two feasts a day continued for seven days, along with the distribution of sweets and saris,” a voter in his neighbourhood said.

Large sections of people choose to behave like a Hindu or a Muslim instead of a citizen even at the polling booths. The intensity of the passion and the force of illogic can be judged in these people’s reactions.

Prahlad Yadav, who sells newspapers at the Vijaynagar roundabout in Indore, burst into a bitter harangue when asked about the election: “If Brahma, Vishnu or Mahesh contest on Congress ticket and a dacoit contests on BJP ticket, I will vote for the dacoit. Because the Congress candidate will become a Rahul Gandhi stooge and the dacoit will follow Modi’s diktats.”

Asked what was so special about Modi, he argued: “Is that a question to be asked? We know a section of Hindus still behave like Jaychand and a section of journalists are paid by the Congress. It is a shame that people living in Bharat work against the Hindu interest. The Congress wasted 70 years and now Bharat has attained glory under Modi, but some traitors still ask questions.”

On how many universities and government hospitals had Modi set up in the last nine years and whether unemployment and prices were not hurting the poor, Yadav said: “Life runs on individual karma; the Prime Minister can’t be blamed for that. For petty concerns, we can’t support Philistine ke aulad.” Offsprings of Philistine is the new description that the Congress has got for questioning the massacre of children in Gaza.

An auto driver, who didn’t want to reveal his identity because he also worked in the civic body, said Congress rule would mean Islamic rule. He conceded that the prices were killing and Modi didn’t fulfil any of his promises, but feared Muslim dominance would return after his ouster. “Even if the Shivraj government goes, Modi is a must at the Centre,” he said.

That is the crisis of identity the Congress is grappling with no matter how false this pro-Muslim perception is. Many Congress leaders expressed boundless pleasure seeing Rahul Gandhi at the Kedanath temple in Uttarakhand. Though Rahul wanted this spiritual outing not to be turned into a political tamasha and he spent three days there doing religious service instead of returning after creating a photo-op, ordinary party workers hundreds of miles away saw this as an antidote to the fictitious anti-Hindu tag attached on their forehead.