Anandpal encounter: Gangster’s killing exposes BJP’s faultlines in Rajasthan
encounter last month.
It’s not a first in Rajasthan which has often seen criminals becoming a symbol of their community’s pride. Rajputs had gone on a rampage after the killing of Chatur Singh, an alleged criminal, in police firing in Jaisalmer last year. In 2006, during Raje’s first term as the CM, Jats were agitated over the killing of Dara Singh, also in a police encounter.
The latest upsurge of Rajputs against the BJP government threatens to unsettle Raje’s carefully crafted caste balance. In a state known for caste conflicts — Rajputs-versus-Jats-versus-Gujjars-versus-Meenas — she represents a unique blend: born in a Rajput family (erstwhile royal family of Gwalior) and married to a Jat (from the erstwhile royal family of Dholpur), with a Gujjar daughter-in-law. Jats and Rajputs, who together constitute about one-fourth of Rajasthan’s electorate, played a big role in BJP’s success in 2003 and 2013 elections. Anandpal’s encounter threatens to bring the latent tension and rivalry between the two communities to the fore. Rajputs suspect some Jat police officials deliberately shot down Anandpal who crossed swords with Jat criminals as also politicians.
Rajput politicians, including one related to former vice-president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, have swung into action to muddy the waters for Raje — as have her detractors in the Sangh Parivar. State home minister Gulab Chand Katari, an RSS leader whose first stint was marked by withdrawal of cases against Sangh activists, said he was sleeping when the CM called to inform him about the encounter, virtually putting the onus on her.
While it said a lot about the home minister, it also underscored the uneasy equations between the CM and the RSSbacked ministers. Facing flak for incidents of atrocities against Muslims, including the lynching of Pehlu Khan by cow vigilantes in Alwar, the Raje government has been at pains to enlist the actions against perpetrators. But such explanations find few takers as ministers, such as Vasudev Devnani (primary and secondary education), continue to show off their contributions to the Hindutva cause by correcting what he calls “distorted history” in school textbooks.
As state Congress chief Sachin Pilot embarks on a 93-km pada yatra from the CM’s pocketborough, Jhalawar, in the third week of July, the Raje government will come under intense pressure on the issue of farm loan waiver. The Centre’s decision to scrap sugar subsidy has given more ammunition to the opposition. The dice are loaded against the BJP, about 16 months before Rajasthan goes to polls.