BJP MP championing promotion quota cause to negate Hardik stir

CONFEDERATION OF SC/ ST ORGANISATIONS IS MEETING IN LUCKNOW TO DISCUSS A PLAN TO GET PROMOTION QUOTA IMPLEMENTED

LUCKNOW: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Udit Raj arrived in the state capital for Sunday’s proquota meeting here. Members of the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations, which Raj heads, are gathering in Lucknow to discuss and devise a plan to get reservation in promotions implemented.

The event is largely seen as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ploy to blunt Hardik Patel’s ‘antiquota’ stir. It is also expected as a move to counter the BSP which is confident of a good performance in the 2017 state assembly polls after its decent show in the first phase of the panchayat elections.

Udit Raj, the BJP’s dalit face, plans to scale up his ‘pro-reservation’ agitation to Delhi where he claims a gathering of 10-lakh quota supporters will cheer his rally on December 7. Uttar Pradesh is witnessing a tug of war between pro and anti-promotion quota backers. Close to a lakh state government employees, who benefited from reservation in promotion earlier, have been demoted on court orders. The antiquota brigade has cheered the UP government’s decision to demote these employees in pursuance of the court order. But the BSP has been quote vocal in opposing the government decision.

A dalit leader in the BJP says, “The BSP wants to be seen as backing the cause of promotion quota seekers – a prospect that Udit Raj, as indeed the BJP, want to avoid.”

Udit Raj wasted no time in describing BSP chief Mayawati “as having cheated the dalits”. He says: “It’s time that dalits must unite.” Political experts say that Raj, in consultation with the RSS, is deftly attempting to position himself as “rightful champion of the dalit cause.” Ask him what he thought of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement on quota and he says after a little pause, “I guess the RSS has clarified on the subject.”

On his part, Udit Raj said he would approach all the parties seeking their cooperation on the promotion quota. But has he tried to build consensus on the promotion quota issue within the BJP? He responds: “Why should I?” The BJP sources admit that several upper caste MPs in the party are opposed to the promotion quota. A section in the party is wary of alienating the upper castes and hence is advocating the middle path.