Neglect of slum voters may cost BJP dear
‘ Tiwari and team should take Sheila Dikshit as a bigger challenge’
While Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari spent several nights before 2017 municipal polls and a couple of nights in December last year in slums, he is yet to meet residents of Paschimpuri slums which was destroyed by a massive fire on February 13.
Beating Mr Tiwari in his much talked about slum politics, former chief minister and Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit not only visited the place but also ensured setting up of a relief camp under the aegis of her party in the area and distributed essential items to the affected people. Even AAP leaders also visited the area and met the residents.
A senior Delhi BJP leader told this newspaper that politics has changed after Ms Dikshit took control of Congress in the city and it will be difficult for Mr Tiwari to match her with such slow response to problems of slum residents.
Apart from ensuring setting up of a relief camp, Delhi Congress senior party leaders including working president Rajesh Lilothia, all Block Congress committee presidents, workers of Mahila Congress, Seva Dal and NSUI also distributed food items and essential commodities among the fire- affected people at the JJ cluster. The AAP leaders were first to visit the area where over 200 jhuggis were gutted.
After the historic victory
in municipal polls, Mr Tiwari and the Delhi BJP claimed that staying at nights with slum- dwellers made inroads for the party to the vote bank in slums which traditionally voted in favour of Congress, and in 2015 to AAP. Mr Tiwari started similar night stay in slums in December last year but soon stopped it.
Questioning Mr Tiwari’s sudden shift in strategy, a senior BJP leader said that the game has changed in Delhi political scenario with the entry of Ms Dikshit, a seasoned politician, and any lackadaisical approach in dealing her will cost the party immensely. “Till date, Mr Tiwari and his core team are focussing on taking on Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP, but they have to work overtime to match Ms Dikshit’s politics. Mr Tiwari and his team cannot afford to use night stay in slums as photo- op, if they are seriously thinking to take on Ms Dikshit in Delhi,” he added.
Another party leader said that if the BJP state leadership is really serious to take on Ms Dikshit they have to leave their causal approach to politics.