Rajput mahapanchayat calls for boycott of BJP leaders, barring Yogi, in Muzaffarnagar

A MAHAPANCHAYAT of the Rajput community held in Kheda village under the Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday declared its decision to “boycott BJP candidates” in the first phase of general elections in Uttar Pradesh in protest against “non-implementation of government schemes, rise in unemployment, Agniveer Scheme and insult of the Rajput Samaj”.

The boycott call, however, did not apply to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who, the community leaders, said was their voice which was “not being heard by central BJP leadership”.

During the mahapanchayat, which was organised by

“chaubisi” — a conglomerate of 24 villages falling under Siwal Khas (Baghpat), Sardhana (Meerut) and Khatauli (Muzaffarnagar) Assembly seats symbolising Rajput power — community leaders “pledged their support” for SP candidate Harendra Malik in Muzaffarnagar. In other Lok Sabha seats in the region, they said “they will vote for the candidate who is in a position to defeat the BJP”.

The mahapanchayat also saw repeated mention of a similar panchayat held on the same ground in 2013 in relation to the Muzaffarnagar riots, which, according to some Rajput leaders, “formed the basis of the BJP'S rise in the state”. They went on to say that “after 10 years, this panchayat will become the reason for the BJP'S downfall in the region”.

Deepak Som, Muzaffarnagar district president of Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan, one of the organisers of mahapanchayat, said the “Thakurs are following CM Adityanath”.

“They (BJP leadership) don’t listen to Yogi-ji. Does Baba (Adityanath) have any say in the tickets that have been distributed? If Baba had his way, there would be no need to convince (the community). People sitting in Delhi finalise the candidates and their decision is imposed on (Defence Minister) Rajnath Singh and Yogi Maharaj to go and convince the public,” said Deepak.

This is the same Chaubisi (24 villages) from where he (sitting BJP MP Sanjeev Balyan) used to get votes, this time he will lose from everywhere,” said Som as the public responded with 'Jai Rajputana, Jai Bhavani' chants. Balyan is the BJP candidate from themuzaffarnagarloksabhaseat.

Pooran Singh, the president of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan, said no one can take votes by “scaring them with nationalism, Pakistan or China”. “We have caught the horse of Modi's Ashwamedha — the call for '400 paar'. Now we will release it only after the fight (election). Not just Rajputs, all the 36 castes are with us. No one can get votes by scaring us with nationalism, Pakistan or China. Our ancestors have fought on the borders, our brothers are fighting, no BJP MP or their family members fight there,” said Pooran.