Upper caste anger over BJP’s pro- dalit steps sounds alarm
■ Bid to retain Hindi heartland voters after SC/ ST Act rejig
After receiving a negative feedback from its core votebank — the upper castes — over its overdrive to woo the dalits and the OBCs, the BJP has sent out a message to Thakurs, Brahmins and the Vaishyas — “do not make the same mistake you did in 2004” by not backing Atal Behari Vajpayee led BJP for a second term at power.
The Narendra Modi government’s recent measure to bring in a legislation to overturn the Supreme Court’s order “diluting” the provisions of the SC/ ST ( Prevention of Atrocities) Act seems to have triggered dissent among the saffron party’s core upper caste votebank, which feels that the apex court’s order had infact made sure that the Act was not misused against them.
BJP top brass, including party chief Amit Shah, ministers Arun Jaitley, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Nirmala Sitharaman and others, held a meeting on Tuesday, apparently, to discuss the issue. In an indication that the issue could create problems for the BJP, former Union minister and senior leader Kalraj Mishra has asked the government managers to reconsider its legislation against the apex court’s order. Sources disclosed that the BJP top brass has been receiving strong reaction on the issue, with party leaders complaining and
urging that the BJP leadership needs to address the issue at the earliest due to the growing discontent in the Hindi heartland, including Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Mr Misra said in Lucknow that there was undoubtedly anger among the upper castes and the Central government should convene an allparty meeting to discuss how the SC/ ST Act could be amended so that justice is done to SC/ STs and victimisation of the upper castes is also prevented.
Sensing the gravity of the issue, the saffron party has activated its leadership and also its social media team to keep an eye on such dissent and also try to placate the upper caste votebank, which seems to be miffed over aggressive wooing of the dalits and the OBCs.
This newspaper had reported recently how the saffron party’s poll managers in poll- bound Madhya Pradesh are desperately trying to assuage Brahmin and Vaishyas, who together account for nearly 10 per cent of the total population, are miffed with the ruling BJP over the recent dalitleaning of the party.
In an embarrassment to chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Rajput organisation Karni Sena, which had held a protest in Gwalior against the SC/ ST legislation, claimed responsibility for an incident in which shoes and stones were hurled at him at Churhat
Jaipur: Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot on Tuesday accused Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje- led BJP government of “exploiting” sarpanchs and hollowing out Panchayati Raj Instit- utions ( PRIs) during its tenure in the state. Pilot alleged that the ordinance fixing a minimum educational qualification for contesting elections to the PRIs in Rajasthan has shut the doors for women, poor and other weaker sections. In Dece- mber 2014, the state government had issued an ordinance amending the Rajas- than Panchayati Raj Act, which makes class pass mandatory for the post of sarpanch and Class 10 for panchayat samiti election.