Battle brews over the new Dalit vote
POLITICAL TUSSLE No party criticised the issue underpinning the bandh, highlighting their desire to win over the Dalit vote base
NEW DELHI: Monday’s Bharat Bandh to protest against what Dalit groups saw as the dilution of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act by a March 20 Supreme Court decision elicited an unusual political response.
No side across the political spectrum criticised the issue underpinning the bandh. The Opposition backed the protests. The government reiterated its commitment to addressing the issue that was being flagged by the protestors and pointed out it had filed a review petition in the Supreme Court.
Why did no political actor want to come across as opposing the protest? The explanation lies in both political arithmetic and the sociology of the Dalit issue.
THE ARITHMETIC
Dalits are important for a simple reason — their demographic strength, across geographies, makes them a politically formidable constituency. They are present in large numbers in precisely the states which contributed to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) historic performance in 2014. These states remain central to the BJP’S fortunes in 2019 once again.
In Uttar Pradesh, Dalits constitute around 22% of the population; 17 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state are reserved for SCS. In 2017, the BJP was able to capitalise on the contradictions within Dalits. In 2019, they are worried that a stronger Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) — in alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) — could not only retain its core Dalit vote of Jatavs but also win over other Dalit subcastes.
In Bihar, Dalits constitute 17% of the population; six out of 40 LS seats are reserved. Here, Lalu Prasad’s RJD is making a strong push for the Dalit vote.
In Maharashtra, Dalits constitute 10.5% of the population according to the 2011 census; five of the 48 seats from the state are reserved. Coming in the wake of Bhima Koregaon clash, the BJPled government would be keen to prevent further Dalit alienation.
In two poll-bound states, Dalits are a swing force. In Rajasthan, they are 17% of the population; four out of 25 LS seats and 33 of the 200 assembly seats are reserved for SCS. In Madhya Pradesh, which saw six deaths on Monday, Dalits are over 15% of the population. Four out of 29 LS seats are reserved; 35 out of 230 assembly seats are reserved. The Congress hopes to garner a substantial section of Dalit votes in both states.
But it is not just in reserved seats that Dalits are important. Spread across each constituency, they are an influential swing force in every electoral battle. They can’t win you a poll on their own -- but any party which has Dalit votes along with one or two other social groups is a winner.
THE SOCIOLOGY
In the early decades after independence, dominant upper castes could dictate Dalit electoral choices. This changed with the rise of autonomous Dalit forces, particularly the BSP.
Now, there are organised caste and subcaste associations of Dalits (like of other caste groups). Young Dalits are as active on social media outlets as any other demographic group. There is a Dalit middle class which has emerged out of the policy of affirmative action. Dalit entrepreneurs have taken advantage of the market and a more liberal economic order. Even Dalits in rural areas are far more connected today to the world outside. With TV and mobile penetration, and fluid migration patterns, Dalits have a sense of the larger political churn, and strong opinions.
THE BATTLE
It is this combination of numbers, political strength, growing awareness, ability to access new technological tools and connectivity with the wider world and each other that has enabled Dalits to organise protests like the one on Monday.
It is also precisely this combination which makes Dalits such a coveted political constituency -and a constituency that is now not hostage to any grouping. They assert themselves on issues like atrocities, representation, reservations, jobs or violence by upper castes. They negotiate hard with parties. And they will as a strong pressure group when necessary.
On Monday, this Dalit constituency asserted itself. The political responses — the BJP’S attempts to reach out and Opposition’s explicit support— were to win over this constituency. Faridabad: Protesters take out marches, causing traffic delays. Some passengers onboard the Kota Jan Shatabdi Express are injured at New Town Railway Station
Other affected districts: Gurgaon, Ambala, Rohtak The Capital experiences traffic snarls in several places, with roads being blocked in areas, including Mandi House, Patel Chowk and Jantar Mantar. Traffic is also hit on roads leading to Noida, Faridabad and Gurgaon amid heavy police presence. Protesters squat on railway tracks at Delhi’s borders Shops are vandalised and train services are stopped by a violent mob
One person is killed as police open fire to contain protests. A shopkeeper fires at agitators, injuring five. The New Delhi-ajmer Shatabdi is stuck for more than two hours Internet services are suspended in the area from 1pm to 8pm. Other areas where internet services are suspended include Bharatpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Sikar, Jaisalmer and Barmer.
Other affected districts: Barmer, Bharatpur, Ajmer The Indo-pakistan bus service 'Sada-e-sarhad', running between Delhi and Lahore, is disrupted.
The Lahore-bound bus is halted at Sirhind and the Delhi-bound bus at Amritsar Other affected districts: Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Ropar, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Patiala The city w itnesses heavy traffic jam s, with protesters forcing sho ops to shut down. Electrical polesp and traffic signals are alsol ddamagedd bby the agitators.
Other affected districts: Rajkot, Junagarh, Surat, Saurashtra, Bhavnagar, Amreli, Gir Somanth One person is killed in the district and 75 people, including 40 policemen are injured in protests in various parts of UP
One person is killed. Protesters attack shops, target passenger vehicles and damage government property. A group also reportedly fires at a police team and sets a bus on fire. A group of about 500 people targets mediapersons covering the protests
Other affected districts: Hapur, Agra, Saharanpur, Ghaziabad, Azamgarh and Sambhal Protesters put up road blockades near Vani Vihar, Jayadev Vihar and Acharya Vihar areas in the state capital. The Prakash Ambedkar’s Bahujan Bharipa Mahasangh backs the bandh, but there are no major protests in the city, including in Dalit-dominated areas such as Worli and Naigon Bandh supporters storm the Patna Junction, where they force the closure of the ticket booking counters and squat on railway tracks. In Bhikhna Pahari locality, students come to blows with bandh supporters after they force the closure of coaching institutes in the area.
Other affected districts: Forbesganj, Arrah, Vaishali, Bettiah, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Nawada, Bhagalpur Three people are killed and over a dozen others injured. Curfew is imposed as shots are fired during the agitation. Internet services have been blocked in the district till 6am on Tuesday
One person is killed in violence; authorities clamp curfew. Chhattisgarh Express is stopped by protesters who damage the railway tracks
Two people are killed and 10 others are injured. Bhim Sena and Bajrang Dal workers clash after protesters try to block National Highway-92. The army is called in to control the situation Other affected districts: Indore, Bhopal, Alirajpur, Jhabua and Sagar