SAHARANPUR: Abdul Ghani, 40, flaunts his newly stitched Kashmiri Pathan suit as also his gotra (clan), which he proclaims as ‘Kasana’ and asserts that he votes for BJP.
His daily chores begin with driving up the Shivalik hills on a two-wheeler to deliver milk and then campaigning for his favourite party.
Hailing from the Van Gujjar community, Ghani is a forest dweller, shifting places with changing seasons in search of water sources for his cattle.
“We vote at Mohand village of Saharanpur. I’ve been voting for BJP for years,” Ghani says.
The Van Gujjars have been exposed to the influence of the strong network of RSS in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, which explains their support for the BJP.On the Saharanpur-Dehradun road, Mohd Jumman, 65, lies on a mat, surrounded by his grandchildren.
“This is our mosque,” he says, pointing to a hut. He teaches Hindi and Urdu to children.
Government facilities like schools and health centres have not touched the lives of Van Gujjars.
“They dwell in regions falling in Saharanpur of UP,” Uttarakhand CM T S Rawat told this newspaper.
The Van Gujjars don’t have big demands but wish that they get drinking water facility. The community numbers 17,000-19,000, with a vote base of 10,000-11,000. Perhaps, that’s not a big vote bank, which is why they aren’t being wooed with promises and sops.
Exposed to RSS Network
Van Gujjars follow Hindu social customs. They belonged to the Gujjars tribe and got converted to Islam during the time of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. They have been exposed to the strong network of RSS in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.