Dalit ire may not dent BJP’s poll prospects
Although anger brews in community over last year’s flogging incident, Dalits make up 7% of the state’s population, which reduces their electoral clout
THE OUTBURST OVER THE UNA FLOGGING, COMING WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF ROHITH VEMULA’S SUICIDE, WAS A TURNING POINT IN GUJARAT’S DALIT POLITICS
MOTA SAMADHIYALA (UNA): Exactly a year ago, a video clip of seven Dalits being flogged by “gau rakshaks” for skinning a dead cow in Gujarat’s Una taluka went viral, sparking national outrage. The protests by Dalits continued for months.
As Gujarat heads for crucial assembly elections later this year, under the leadership of chief minister Vijay Rupani who took over from Anandiben Patel in August last year, will Una still be a rallying point for the opposition that has blamed the ruling BJP for rising crimes against Dalits? The incident may be a big blot on the state’s Dalit history, but at just 7% of the state’s population they may not count for much in these polls, political pundits say.
A visit to Mota Samadhiyala village, 20 km from Una town in Gir Somnath district, gives an indication of the flux the Dalits find themselves in.
For the past one year, 18-year-old Ashok Sarvaiya, one of the seven who were thrashed publicly on 11 July 2016, has failed to settle down as a dailywage labourer at nearby construction sites.
“Mari paase koi kaam na thi (I have no work),” says Ashok. Before the 11 July incident Ashok and his family subsisted on their traditional job of skinning dead cattle, like most Dalits in Una and its adjoining villages, for generations.
His neighbours say the teenager is yet to get over the humiliation of that day. “Every time we talk about the July 11 incident, he gets uncomforta- ble and runs away,” says Balu Bhai Sarvaiya, Ashok’s uncle. Balu, his two sons, Ramesh and Veshram, and two nephews Ashok and Bechar, were among the victims.
The outburst that followed the Una flogging was seen as a turning point in Dalit politics of Gujarat, particularly since it came within six months of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula’s suicide in Hyderabad University. The state’s Dalits decided to boycott all traditional cattle skinning work in protest.
“The Una protests captured the national imagination. A new generation of Dalits has emerged as faces of the protests,” says Nirjhari Sinha, convener of the Jan Sangharsh Manch. Though there had been reports over the years of discrimination against lower castes in the region, the anger spilled over after the Una incident. “We too want to lead a respectful life. We want to get rid of the menial jobs that we have been made to do for generations,” says Jitu Sarvaiya, 23, the only Dalit from the village to complete a BTech degree.
The Dalits allege that they face a socio-economic blockade from upper castes for refusing to dispose of dead cattle. The government, however, denies this.
“We have not received any complaint of boycott from the community. Security has not been an issue for any community in Gujarat,” says the state’s social justice minister Sambhaji Chauhan.
“For the present dispensation at the Centre and the state, protecting cows is an issue, they do not care about Dalits even as they scream sabka saath sabka vikaas,” says Jignesh Mevani, the face of the postUna Dalit movement.
To mark one year of the Una flogging incident, Mevani’s Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch is organising a week-long march ‘Azaadi Kooch’ for land rights in north Gujarat.
Still, the Dailt disenchantment may not dent the ruling BJP in the polls: First, Dalits comprise a small fraction of Gujarat’s population. Second, they have traditionally voted for the Congress.
In the local polls held in December 2016, the Congress won nine of the 11 district panchayats in Saurashtra region, under which Mota Samadhiyala village falls.
The Dalit consolidation may help the Congress, but several villages in Una are also looking at another option, Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
“Behanji (Mayawati) is our goddess. The Una episode got national prominence because she raised it in Parliament,” says Jitu Sarvaiya.
“History shows the BJP has won past elections without the support of Dalits,” says Ahmedabad-based political scientist Achyut Yagnik. “The Una incident was significant, but its impact on elections would be minimal.”