Vote-bank politics comes a cropper

Achche din for cows could be the begining of the “bure din” for the BJP, trying to embrace Ambedkar and now singed by the wrath of the Dalits.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's induction of five Dalit minister in the recent cabinet expansion, BJP president, Amit Shah's sharing a meal with dalits in Varanasi may have come to nought at a time when the party is preparing for a high stakes poll battle in Uttar Pradesh. The dangerous vigilantism of the gau rakshaks could now cost the BJP, not just UP but the equally crucial state of Punjab. Intimidation and assault in the name of cow protection could also ruin BJP's gameplan to consolidate the 17 per cent Dalit vote in the country, and project itself as the alternative to the BSP and SP. In the BJP's gameplan, Dalits were the counter for the Muslims, branded as anti-saffron.

The first turning point was the suicide of Dalit student, Rohith Vemula, which the former HRD minister, Smriti Irani gravely mishandled with her high-pitched histrionics in Parliament, trying to paint Rohith as “anti-national”. The demolition of Ambedkar Bhavan in Mumbai, the mindless brutality of the assault on four Dalits by young men claiming to be from a "gau rakshak mandal" (Cow Protection Group) in Modi's home turf, Gujarat, and Dalit anger could no longer be contained. The BJP state unit vice president, Dayashankar Singh calling BSP chief, Ms Mayawati a ******** was the last straw.

Sensing the danger of losing the Dalit vote-bank, BJP promptly swung into action and expelled him. As the BJP national secretary, Shrikant Sharma says “We expelled Dayashankar, we arrested those who assaulted Dalits in Gujarat. BJP and the BJP government is taking action wherever it's needed,” and rubbished the Opposition, particularly Congress for trying to "politicise dalit issues for vote-bank politics."

But the damage is done. The party will take a hit in UP. In Punjab, where the BJP-Akali Dal alliance is already undermined by anti-incumbency, it now stands to lose a Dalit vote that makes up nearly 31 per cent of the population.

So far, the so called 'jihad against cow slaughter' by the fringe elements in the Sangh Parivar and the cow protection units was aimed at the minority community. Last year the nation witnessed the horrific lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq by an alleged right-wing Hindu mob over reports of possessing beef at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh.

A recent video showed 'gau rakshaks' forcing two men to eat cowdung when they were caught transporting beef. As Dharmendra Yadav, president of the Gurgaon Gau Rakshak Dal crowed; "When we caught them, they had 700 kg of beef in their car. We made them eat the panchgavya (cow dung concoction) to teach them a lesson, and purify them." The Haryana government proposed setting up a “Gau-Rakshak Task Force”. This was a face of militant Hindutva agenda, the country had never seen.

Protection of cows has been always high on the agenda of the Sangh Parivar. The VHP official website - http://vhp.org/vhp-glance/dimensions/cow-protection/- on the cow protection states: "The cow and her species had become an emblem of our national indpendence and honour. Naturally this holy species was protected by the worshipful and grateful people. Cow slaughter was unthinkable. It was a henious sin calling for dire punishment of the wicked that or perversity committed the crime."

In 2005, a report in an English daily read; "Guess what the BJP is doing in its lean days Selling cow-based shampoos, oils and detergents. These now viSe for space with pictures of the party' s former poster boys A B Vajpayee and L K Advani at the stall at the party headquarters on 11 Ashoka Road."

These self styled "gau rakshkas" got away scot free till they crossed the Lashman rekha and targeted the Dalits. The BJP, and PM Modi, know they have little choice but to openly and repeatedly condem violence against Dalits, but no senior leader has made one move to either condemn or ban cow protection units and their vigilantism. Milking the cow for votes can only go this far.