Dalit politics takes centre stage as BJP goes all out to woo community

With the polling day getting closer, the Dalit politics has taken a centre stage as the BJP is pulling out all stops to woo voters belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in the Assembly elections. The SCs have over 20 per cent share of the total voters in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other local leaders are flagging Dalits’ issues prominently in the election campaign but the party is, as per political analysts, still struggling to get success in its mission to woo the community.

“Mainly, the BJP started focusing upon Dalits after the Lok Sabha elections when a major section of SC voters went with the Congress and played a key role in bringing down the BJP to five in the state. Initially, the BJP ran a narrative by quoting Rahul Gandhi’s statement abroad about reservation to prove that the Congress was anti-Dalit, but it could not evoke results as the claim was found fake during fact-check,” said Naresh Chauhan, a political analyst in Rewari.

He maintained that the BJP later attempted to woo SC voters when Congress senior leader and Sirsa MP Kumari Selja took a break from the field for some days after the ticket allotment of the Congress but Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s statement inviting Selja to join the BJP worked to foil the attempt as Selja resumed the poll campaign immediately after that and also reiterated that she would remain in the Congress till her last breath, he added.

“The farming community and the SCs, especially Ravidass community, have been together for a long time. They play a united role in the elections. Since the farming community is openly supporting the Congress, the BJP is struggling to get the support of SCs despite making efforts. However, its leaders are still leaving no stone unturned to woo the Dalit voters,” said Prof SS Chahar, Director, Centre for Haryana Studies, Rohtak.

Jitender Bhardwaj, another political observer, said the shifting of focus from the OBCs to SCs by the BJP was a clear indication that the saffron party was apprehensive of getting the support of SCs in the Assembly elections. “The BJP will have to suffer a heavy loss, if it does not get the desired support from SC voters,” he said.

Geeta Bhukkal, senior Congress leader and four-time MLA, said the BJP’s agenda to defame the Congress by terming it anti-Dalit had failed as the Congress’ organisation in the state was being led by SC leaders for a long time. PC Mulana, Ashok Tanwar and Kumari Selja had served as Congress state president while current state president Udai Bhan too belongs to the SC community, she added.

Shamsher Kharak, BJP state media co-incharge, said the Congress had appointed SC leaders as its state president but did not hesitate to disrespect them when they tried to come ahead. “The SCs have realised that only the BJP can safeguard their interest, so they will vote for the BJP in the election without any doubt,” he claimed.

Mange Ram Tundwal, President, Haryana Chamar Sangharsh Samiti, said the BJP could not woo the SC voters following different reasons like making recruitment through the HKRN without following reservation policy and dividing the Dalits in the name of sub-classification within the SC reservation.

‘They play united role in elections’

The farming community and the SCs, especially Ravidass community, have been together for a long time. They play a united role in the elections. Since the farming community is openly supporting the Congress, the BJP is struggling to get the support of SCs despite making efforts. However, its leaders are still leaving no stone unturned to woo the Dalit voters. — Prof SS Chahar, Director, Centre for Haryana Studies, Rohtak