PAIKAMAL: At the foothills of Gandhamardan, the abode of Lord Nrushinghanath, the Gonds gathered for a community meeting on Sunday. It was followed by meetings of two others - Kulta Samaj and Meher Samaj.
Such assemblies are a normal affair but this time it happened under the banner of BJD sending out a clear message that the ruling outfit is busy wooing the groups ahead of the crucial Padampur bypoll. Caste politics used to be a closed-door affair and is barely professed in public in Odisha. When it comes to tribes which are mostly close-knit groups, they keep issues of common interest within the community, keeping outsiders at bay.
However, with the BJP making inroads in the constituency and posing a stiff challenge to the BJD seems to have driven the ruling party to bring caste politics into play. The three communities having sizeable voters have been loyal to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, but the party is not leaving anything to chance.
The announcement of the chief minister approving one acre land at Puri and grant of Rs 3 crore from the special problem fund for construction of a ‘dharmasala’ for Kulta Samaj and a similar amount and half acre of land in the state capital for construction of a memorial building in the memory of iconic poet Gangadhar Meher are interesting developments in wake of the bitter fight between the BJD and BJP to reclaim the seat.
Before the CM’s announcement, BJD leader and former minister Sushant Singh had promised the Gond community a financial assistance of `7 lakh for construction of a temple for their traditional deities near the existing dharmasala at the base of Gandhamardan hills, revered by the tribals.
The Gond leaders claim to have a voter base of over 22,000 which can be crucial in a close fight, but BJP sources say the number is exaggerated. The Kulta Samaj that draws its members from a number of communities including the dominant Sahu, accounts for about 27 per cent of the voters of the constituency.
Basanta Dharua, president of Gond Samaj of Padmapur told TNIE that the community passed a resolution at the meeting to vote en masse for BJD if assurances made by senior BJD leaders including Rajya Sabha MP Niranjan Bisi and Kantamal MLA Mahidhar Rana are fulfilled. “We are happy with the announcement of the CM. The Gond Samaj of Rajborasambar (Padampur block) will meet again and take a decision on our support,” Dharua said.
Taking exception to the resolution passed at the BJD-sponsored Gond meeting, BJP leader Hom Singh Majhi who belongs to the tribe said, Dharua is not authorised to take a unilateral decision for the community.
Majhi who unsuccessfully contested the last Assembly election from Nuapada constituency said, the All India Gond Samaj has taken a principled stand not to meddle in politics. “The matter will be taken up at the national forum of the community and any deviation from the stand will not be tolerated,” he said.
“Caste has never been a factor in Odisha politics unlike other states. It is to be seen if this move of the BJD would give electoral dividends,” said Panchanan Kanungo, senior Congress leader and former finance minister.