On Tuesday, the Congress manifesto promised to ban the Bajrang Dal, likening the Hindu outfit to the proscribed Popular Front of India (PFI) against which the Centre invoked the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act last September. It appears from the concerted efforts made by the Congress to clarify the issue that it can damage the party's election prospects, cropping up as it does barely a week before the polls. Since Hampi in Karnataka is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman, the emotional traction of the issue in the southern state can't be discounted.
