Veteran BJP chief Vinay Katiyar’s residences in Lucknow and Ayodhya are actually buzzing with political exercise as soon as once more. That is as a result of Katiyal has held a collection of conferences with Bharatiya Janata Occasion activists and supporters at his house in latest weeks.
Sangh Parivar members current at these conferences included those that performed a job within the Ram Janmabhoomi motion earlier than and after the Babri Masjid demolition, and who confronted police motion within the Nineties.
Former Bajrang Dal president Katiyar, 71, was one of the outstanding leaders of the motion to construct a Ram temple in Ayodhya. He additionally served a number of phrases as a member of the Indian Parliament and the Bharatiya Janata Occasion. However lately, the firebrand chief has discovered himself in a political wilderness.
A number of conferences have been held since final month at Katyal’s residence, nicknamed ‘Hindu Dham’, in Ramkot, Ayodhya, after newly elected Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Pankaj Chaudhary visited Katyal at his house in Lucknow on December 22, simply days after he assumed the management of the get together. Like Katiyar, Chaudhary additionally belongs to the Kurmi neighborhood (OBC).
Chaudhary had a personal assembly with Katyal for greater than two hours, which Katyal later known as a “courtesy name.”
In keeping with BJP sources, the assembly is a part of Chaudhary’s try and “energize Kurmi Occasion leaders who’re at the moment inactive.” “Katyal could have acquired alerts from Chaudhary to begin political actions and join together with his supporters,” the official stated. Chaudhary was recognized to be near Katiyar within the Nineties and early 2000s, when he was one of many outstanding faces of the Bharatiya Janata Occasion from UP.
Lately, Katiyar had been staying completely at his house in Lucknow. However prior to now two weeks, he has fully shifted his base to his house in Ayodhya city, in accordance with some shut aides.
Final Tuesday, Rajya Sabha MP and former Nationwide Bharatiya Janata Occasion chief Laxmikant Vajpayee visited Katiyar at his house in Ayodhya together with native leaders. Mr. Vajpayee, who had been away from actions for greater than a decade, was just lately despatched to Rajya Sabha by the get together.
After the assembly, Katiyar instructed native media that he would contest the 2027 UP meeting elections from Ayodhya constituency.
He reiterated this in an interview with The Indian Categorical, saying, “Sure, I’ll contest from Ayodhya on the Bharatiya Janata Occasion ticket within the subsequent meeting elections.”
This will likely be his debut in parliamentary elections. Requested if he had mentioned this with the Bharatiya Janata Occasion management, he stated: “It’s for them to resolve.”
Curiously, the Ayodhya Meeting seat is at the moment represented by Ved Prakash Gupta of the Bharatiya Janata Occasion, who had gained the seat on the get together ticket in 2017 as effectively.
A Bharatiya Janata Occasion chief in Ayodhya stated Mr. Katiyar had not met any supporter of the Bharatiya Janata Occasion, Bajrang Dal or VHP for the previous seven to eight years. “Throughout this era, he even stopped visiting these organizations and the Ram Temple Belief and was not seen across the Ram temple development web site,” he stated.
The Ram temple, consecrated in January 2024, has been accomplished.
The BJP chief stated the state of affairs appeared to have modified as a result of Katiyar himself had despatched a message to his supporters forward of the assembly the day earlier than he introduced his candidacy. “Leaving them shocked, Katiyal mentioned his return to energetic politics with them over tea and snacks,” he stated.
Katiyar was one of the aggressive faces of the Ram Temple motion and the founding head of the Bajrang Dal. He additionally served because the get together’s nationwide basic secretary and vp and was appointed because the UP BJP chief in 2002.
Katiyar was elected from the Faizabad (Ayodhya) Lok Sabha seat for 3 consecutive phrases in 1991, 1996 and 1999.
He additionally contested the 2006 Lok Sabha by-election from Rae Bareli, however misplaced to high Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. He additionally served as a member of the Rajya Sabha for 2 phrases beginning in 2006, and his time period resulted in 2018.
In September final yr, controversy erupted over Katiyar’s remarks that no mosques could be allowed to be in-built Ayodhya and that Muslims ought to go away Ayodhya and migrate to different districts “throughout the Saryu” in UP.
Ayodhya MP Awadesh Prasad of the Samajwadi Occasion slammed him, saying the nation belonged to folks of all faiths. “Vinay Katiyal is a senior chief of the Bharatiya Janata Occasion, however he has been ignored and ignored by the Modi authorities. Due to this fact, he has made these statements out of disappointment and frustration,” Prasad stated.
Even within the BJP circles, Katiyar’s try was seen as his try and “come again to the limelight” as a part of his “return to UP BJP politics”.
