The Bharatiya Janata Party's plan to play the 'Hindutva' card in Himachal Pradesh during the assembly election will backfire, former chief minister Virbhadra Singh has said.
"As far as Himachal Pradesh is concerned, Hindutva as propagated by the BJP in Gujarat is not going to have any effect because the state, despite having the highest concentration of Hindus in the country, has strong communal bonds," Singh said on Thursday.
Unlike Gujarat, the population will not be polarised because people in Himachal Pradesh "are very liberal and secular", Singh, who is the Congress legislature party leader, said.
"The BJP's victory in Gujarat may have gladdened the party, but it is a serious setback for the country as a whole because it has not only weakened the democratic set up and secular fabric, but also caused serious damage to the unity among different communities," he said.
Regarding the BJP's plan to field Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as its main election campaigner, he said, "Modi is not new to Himachal. He was BJP general secretary when an intense fighting in the party took place in the state. His presence in Himachal is not going to make any difference."