Caste divide in Barmer widened in LS election
BARMER: At 75.93%, the Barmer Lok Sabha parliamentary seat after recording the highest polling in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections is again in the spotlight. But this time for all the wrong reasons..
The visible polarisation of castes, the impact of which was evident during the April 26 polls with multiple incidents of clashes between groups being reported in the constituency, has disturbed the social harmony in the district. The two major communities at loggerheads are the Jats and the Rajputs.
According to political experts, the “bitterness” between the two communities reached a new level during this election. Barmer seat, which includes Jaisalmer district as well, is the largest parliamentary constituency in Rajasthan, witnessed a triangular contest between BJP’s Kailash Chaudhary, Congress’s Ummedaram Beniwal and independent candidate Ravindra Singh Bhati. Chaudhary and Beniwal belong to the Jat community while Bhati is a Rajput.
While supporters of Bhati are demanding “Z security” cover for him, Congress leaders Harish Choudhary and Amin Khan are reported to have received threats via social media platforms, people familiar with the matter said. Barmer police have so far arrested 30 people for making provocative statements over social media platforms which could disrupt the law and order in the area, said officials.
On Friday, the district administration and police called a meeting of ‘Sarva Samaj” to pacify the situation in the area.
District collector Nishant Jain said: “Minor incidents, including threats, assaults, protests, and demonstrations took place during the Lok Sabha elections. To address these issues and uphold unity, a Sarva Samaj meeting was convened”.
Jain said, “Leaders of all major parties and representatives from various societal segments participated in the meeting. During the meeting, a unanimous appeal was made to maintain a harmonious atmosphere. The participants committed to identifying anti-social elements who disrupt peace on social media.”
Superintendent of police Narendra Singh Meena said, “We urged society members to refrain from making inappropriate comments on social media.” Regarding the perpetrators who threatened politicians on social media, Meena added: “They are mostly young men aged 18-19 who lack awareness.”
Political analyst in Barmer, Narendra Tansukhani said, “I have witnessed many elections in Barmer, but I have rarely seen such bitterness persisting even after polling.” “While it’s a fact that Jats and Rajputs were never entirely comfortable with each other, it doesn’t mean they remained at loggerheads. Supporting one’s own community candidate and opposing others during election campaigns was usual, but once voting took place, the situation usually returned to normal. However, this time, it didn’t.”
Another political analyst Shivprakash Soni said: “In this election, bitterness among Jats and Rajputs had reached a new level this time.” He blamed social media, emphasising that “youngsters don’t realise their comments on social media sites are disturbing social harmony, which will ultimately lead to losses for the area”.
Responding to the issue, Bhati said, “It is true that even after voting the situation is still not normal.I have been appealing to the people that the elections are over and now we should move forward. We should forget small issues and move on to ensure the development of the region.”
BJP candidate Kailash Choudhary said, “It is for the first time when I am witnessing such situations where castes are at loggerhead even after completing the election phase.” Taking a dig at Bhati, Choudhary said: “Initially he disturbed the social harmony (in the area) and now he is blaming others”.
He claimed that at many places BJP workers were targeted “but instead of taking law into their hands, they approached the police for justice but Bhati and his supporters are taking law into their hands, blocking highways and harassing the officers”. Choudhary said: “This kind of politics is not good for the region and it should be stopped at the earliest”. Congress candidate Ummedaram Beniwal was not available for comment when contacted. Social activist Rakesh Sharma said, “It is good that authorities in Barmer called the meeting to pacify the situation. It would be better if the politician, especially the candidates, also appeal to their supporters to prevent such a situation.”