As the Karnataka poll campaign nears its peak, the BJP is reviving its Hindutva pitch. Be it the war of words over the Congress’s promise to act against the Bajrang Dal, or PM Narendra Modi’s reference to the controversial film Kerala Story.

At a rally in Tumakuru, PM Modi said the Congress is opposing the film and that shows the party supports terror.

The BJP, meanwhile, has participated in Hanuman Chalisa recitals across several districts to indicate that the Congress’s Bajrang Dal promise is proof of its “anti-Hindu” position.

Newslaundry attended one such event in the BJP stronghold of Bengaluru’s Malleshwaram and found that the protest was largely a spectacle arranged for the media. The protest recorded poor attendance.

Meanwhile, the 'Bajrang Dal ban' as an issue will likely have more impact on the upcoming elections in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan — which has a strong Bajrang Dal presence — than impact the outcome in Karnataka. Participants at the Hanuman Chalisa protests were largely members of the VHP. We caught up with some of them.

Watch.