MYSURU: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had surprised its rivals and also party cadres by fielding partymen from the microscopic backward and Siddi communities to the Rajya Sabha and the Legislative Council, is now trying to woo the dalits ahead of the panchayat polls.The party wants its cadres and leaders to reach out to dalit localities, youths, officials and women under its programme ‘Dalita Sangama’.The BJP and Sangh Parivar do realise that the dalits traditionally voted for the Congress and remained its vote bank all these years. Now, the party wants to win them over to achieve its larger goal of a Congress-mukt Bharat.
The BJP dalit leaders have accused the Congress of keeping the innocent community in its clutches as a vote bank. They have called upon dalits to liberate and look up to the BJP and Narendra Modi leadership.
BJP SC Morcha president Chaluvadi Narayaswamy who has been touring the old Mysuru region has accused the Congress of denying political power and positions to the dalits.
Stating that the dalits should move towards power, he said that the community was responding and looking up to the BJP after it has given space for backward communities, SC/STs and microscopic communities in the democratic institutions and party organisation.
The BJP which is keen to shed its anti-dalit tag has also listed out the Union Government’s efforts in the development of Ambedkar memorial in the national capital, Madhya Pradesh and other places. The leaders have also planned to invite dalit organisations for a dialogue and want to win over youths and women who they claim are disillusioned with the BSP after that party’s poor show in the parliamentary elections.
BJP general secretary Siddaraju said that they are not a party of businessmen and claimed that the dalits have joined the party in good numbers across the country. He said that the BJP will make a big impact in the panchayat polls and will get rich dividends from its social engineering.Meanwhile, the Congress accused the BJP of denying dalits ministership as also nomination to the Legislative Council and the Rajya Sabha.“It is unfortunate that no dalit has been nominated to the Legislative Council. There is no minister from the community in the government,” said former minister Narendraswamy.He claimed that dalits have no political future in the BJP.