Apple growers’ woes, Hattee ST status to decide HP poll outcome
Notwithstanding the BJP government’s claims regarding incentives given to fruit growers, the outcome of the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections in the apple-growing districts of Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Kinnaur and parts of Sirmaur, covering 9.61 lakh families, may be impacted due to the simmering discontent against the imposition of 18% GST on packaging material besides non-acceptance of their 19-point charter of demands.
Contrary to it, Union minister Amit Shah has been successful in countering the Congress propaganda about the Centre’s decision to declare the Hattee community of TransGiri tract in Sirmaur district a Scheduled Tribe. Shah took the Congress to task for doing gross injustice with the community that should have got ST status along with the Jaunsar Bawar area of Uttarakhand 54 years ago.
A cursory look at the ₹6,000crore apple industry shows that more than 18 to 20 assembly seats are impacted due to the attitude of growers, thereby having a potential to upset the arithmetic of the BJP and the Congress on November 12, polling day in Himachal Pradesh. The direct fallout of dissatisfaction of apple growers may be witnessed in the assembly segments of Shimla, Theog, Jubbal and Kotkhai, Kinnaur, Ani, Rampur, Banjar and Rohru.
Twenty-eight organisations of apple growers had held a protest rally in Shimla on August 5, which reflected their bitterness and accused the government of ignoring their demands which the BJP denied vehemently.
BJP banking on historic decision
In this backdrop and a related development having its relevance to the polls, BJP leaders claim that their nominees are bound to reap the harvest of the BJP government’s historic decision to accord tribal status to Sirmaur’s Hattee community, which will ensure victory in four seats, whereas the fifth seat of former state BJP president Rajiv Bindal is also safe owing to his relentless public work.
Beneficiaries of the TransGiri tract are grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving them justice after five-and-a-half decades as successive Congress governments at the state and Centre ignored them.
To gain political advantage in the assembly election, the Congress leaders are trying to create confusion among other castes that are not covered under the Hattee community by saying that the Centre has not issued a notification after cabinet approval to accord ST status to the community, hence it is only ‘jumla (fake propaganda)’. Second, it will reduce the percentage of reservations of Scheduled Castes and OBCs.
To counter this propaganda, the Hattee community invited Union home minister Amit Shah to honour him at a Dhanyavad Rally at Sataun in Sirmaur district. Shah assured the SC and other castes that their interests will be protected hence they should not be misled by the Congress, which was the main culprit of keeping the Hattee community backward.
Voting behaviour may decide outcome
Analysts say that four of the five assembly segments in the district are bound to be affected due to the ST status decision. Fourteen castes having appreciable numbers of voters have been included in ST category, hence their voting behaviour may change the expected outcome of the polls.
According to the social welfare department, the 14 castes comprise a significant percentage of overall population, including the Khash Kanet (87,685, 42.07%), Bhat Pabuch (33,752, 16.07%), Koli (54,829, 26.3%), Doom (6,755, 3.62%), Daitee (4,231, 2.03%), Deva (4,792, 2.29%), Badoyee (3,463, 1.66%), Chomar (5,210, 2.16%),
Dhakee (2,100, 1%), Lohar (2,540,1.21%), Beda (700, 0.33%), Chanaal (1,776, 0.85%), Toori (547, 0.26%), Sonars (417, 0.20%) and others (1,724, 0.82%).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reiteration about the Union cabinet’s decision to declare the Hattee community as tribal might work to the advantage of the BJP in Sirmaur district. The PM mentioned the acceptance of the Hattee community’s demand while recently addressing rallies at Bilaspur and Chamba.
Congress makes bid to polarise voters
In their desperate attempt to polarise voters in four assembly segments of Paonta Sahib, Shillai, Renuka and Pachhad in Sirmaur district, Congress candidates are harping on the disadvantages of the Centre’s decision to give ST status to the Hattee community. They are trying to convince the SC and OBC voters that injustice has been done to them as their kith and kin will be deprived of job reservation. They claim crimes against SCs will increase as the SC Atrocities Act will vanish, hence they should reject the BJP.
At the same time, the Central Hattee Samiti has openly come out in support of BJP candidates and several groups have been constituted to expose Congress nominees. They argue that every member of the Hattee community feels obliged to the Prime Minister, who has taken the historical decision to accord the ST status to the poor which was intentionally denied by successive Congress governments.
The ST status to the Hattee community and the woes of apple growers may play a decisive role in the outcome of the November 12 elections in affected segments, which is of paramount importance to the BJP and the Congress.