Uttar Pradesh: BJP to counter Opposition on dalit issues

To repair the damage that the BJP’s image has suffered in the aftermath of the Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula’s suicide, the party has decided to ask its MPs and MLAs in Uttar Pradesh to launch a campaign in their respective constituencies and clarify the party stand on the issue.

The BJP leadership is reportedly upset at the manner in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to face protests from students at the Ambedkar University convocation in Lucknow last week.

Uttar Pradesh has a 22 per cent dalit population in which about 55 per cent belong to the Jatav community and the BJP is pinning its hope on these voters for the 2017 Assembly elections.

“We will be asking our MPs and MLAs to launch a campaign from next month and reach out to dalit-populated areas in their constituencies and explain to them the stand and action taken by the government in the Hyderabad suicide case. The MPs and MLAs will also be required to tell the dalits about the various welfare schemes launched for them by the Modi government,” said a party state general secretary. However, the MPs and MLAs feel that the campaign would have to be delayed by at least two months.

“The Budget Session of the Parliament and the state Assembly will be on in February and March... how can the party ask us to campaign during this time ” asked a BJP MP.

The BJP, meanwhile, believes that MPs and MLAs are best suited to counter the “misinformation campaign” being run by the Opposition parties because they are the ones who will have to face the voters directly in the elections.

“In fact, it is in the interests of the legislators to carry out this campaign because they are the ones who will be facing the elections next year. The truth in the matter remains unknown to the majority because the media has also been running a one-sided campaign on the issue,” the party leader said.

The BJP in UP lacks dalit leadership and those dalits who are in the party lack a pan-UP acceptability. Leaders like Rama Shankar Katehria and Udit Raj do not rank high on the acceptability meter in the dalit community. Moreover, dalit representation in the party organisation is almost negligible and this has further upset the community.

“What the BJP leaders say and what they actually do on dalit issues is different. If a party cannot give us representation in top organisational positions, what else can we expect from them The Rohith Vemula suicide has angered the dalit youth across the country and what happened in Lucknow was a manifestation of this anger,” said a dalit BJP MLA.