SP plans Yadav, Muslim, Dalit combination
SP has created a Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe cell and plans to give at least two Dalits charge of every booth.
In its preparations for the 2017 Assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party has started courting Dalits. The party, which is facing the ire of the community because of a large number of crimes against Dalits under its government, is holding rallies all across the state to highlight its commitment to Dalit welfare. The party also plans to appoint a Dalit cadre at every booth in the state. In addition, the party also plans to honour Dalit icons like Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Kanshiram and Jyotiba Phule, and is even discussing opening Dalit parks to the public.
For the first time, the SP has created a Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe cell and plans to appoint at least two Dalit in-charges at every booth in the state.
On Tuesday, the SP’s SC/ST cell organised a Dalit-centric rally in Azamgarh, the Lok Sabha constituency of Mulayam Singh Yadav. Next on the itinerary are rallies in Allahabad on 12 July and Varanasi on 21 July.
In December, SP sources say, the party will organise a grand Dalit programme in Lucknow to highlight the SP’s commitment to the welfare of Dalits.
“We actually plan to hold similar programmes in all 18 divisions of the state. We aim to make Dalits aware that the SP is working for their welfare and that it is the only party that can ensure their all-round development,” said Subhash Pasi, the head of the SC/ST cell of SP.
The SP government has already declared a holiday on the birth anniversary of Dalit leader Kanshiram, founder of SP’s archrival Bahujan Samaj Party.
Dalits make up slightly more than 21% of the UP electorate. They are divided among 66 subcastes. Most dominant are the Jatavs (57%); followed by Pasis (16%); Dhobis Koris and Valmikis (15%); and Gaunds Dhanuks and Khatiks (5%). Nine extremely backward subcastes including Rawats, Bahelias, Kharwars and Kol, who together make up 4%. Another 41 subcastes make up the remaining 3%.
Jatavs are the core vote base of the BSP, but other sections of Dalits seem to be veering away from the party. That is why the BSP suffered huge losses in the 2012 Assembly and 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In 2012, SP won 58 out of 85 Dalit reserved seats, and BSP managed to secure only 15.
Experts on UP politics believe that the SP is focusing on non-Jatav Dalits to reset its vote bank equation to a combination of Yadavs, Muslims and Dalits. “They know that Jatavs may not move away from Mayawati, but other castes could certainly fall for their bait as they did in 2012. That’s why you see people like Subhash Pasi and Jugal Kishore Valmiki becoming important and vocal leaders of SP. They not only have leading roles in SP’s Dalit rallies, they are also articulating party policies on television and other fora as well,” said Kubool Ahmed, a journalist who recently toured several parts of UP to gauge political trends among Dalits.
Jugal Kishore Valmiki claims all Dalits, including Jatavs, are getting tired of the inertia of Mayawati. “Mayawati didn’t change their fate. Rather, she only gave them promises of a better future. The SP government is a working government. It is working for all sections of society, including Dalits. It has started many social security schemes especially to benefit Dalit sections,” he said.
But senior BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya dismisses SP’s tactics as a desperate attempt to win over Dalits because, he claims, the government is sensing growing Dalit anger against it. “Do we need to remind the public of this government’s anti-Dalit policies? There has been a series of anti-Dalit crimes during the three years of the Akhilesh Yadav government. Dalits will not forget that and will remain with the BSP, whatever theatrics the SP may try,” said Maurya.
Amitabh Agnihotri, an expert on UP politics, sees SP’s Dalit rallies as a desperate move. “It will bear no fruit. This government has not done anything to empower Dalits. Actually, the real face of the SP government is antiDalit. They have appointed Yadavs in most police stations in Dalit-dominated areas so that crimes against Dalits, which in many cases are perpetrated by Yadavs, may be hushed up. Dalits will not forget this,” said Agnihotri.