A year after the Congress party strongly opposed the installation of a portrait of right-wing freedom fighter Vinayak Savarkar in Belagavi’s legislative assembly hall, the party, now in power, finds itself on the backfoot regarding the same issue. Sources suggest that the Congress is cautious of picking a fight with the BJP, as it might give the ruling party an opportunity to brand them as anti-Hindu, something that could harm the party’s chances in the upcoming elections. In December last year, the-then ruling BJP had installed the portrait, leading to protests by the Congress. The current deputy CM DK Shivakumar had criticized the BJP for installing a “controversial” leader’s portrait. However, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is now deferring the decision to the Speaker UT Khader. Political scientist Sandeep Shastri suggests that removing an already installed portrait would have harsher repercussions for any party in government. By pushing the decision to the Speaker, the Congress can claim that it came from a neutral party. This move comes as the Congress has been cautiously shifting away from its secular stance towards appealing to Hindu sentiments. The party announced its intention to ban the Bajrang Dal in its manifesto but countered BJP’s attacks by promising to develop the Anjanadri Hill, believed to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. The Congress had also proposed free pilgrimage for senior citizens to holy places in Karnataka or outside the state, similar to the subsidized Haj trips for the Muslim community. It had also assured zero-interest loans for purchasing superior cows and buffalos in its manifesto. Experts suggest that this is an attempt by the Congress to recover lost ground among Hindu voters and project that Hindutva is not confined to the BJP. The party had previously employed a similar strategy in Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh but failed to secure victories in those states. The Congress managed to win in Telangana.