Cong targets non-Jatavs to expand base in Maya bastion
28 May 2010, 0457 hrs IST,Urmi A Goswami,ET Bureau
NEW DELHI: Taking a leaf out of the Mahadalit experiment being carried
out by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Congress has decided to
target the
non-Jatavs among the Dalits in an attempt to expand its social base in
Uttar Pradesh.
Dalits comprise a little less than a quarter of the electorate in the
politically crucial state of UP. Jatavs, the community to which Uttar
Pradesh chief minister Ms Mayawati belongs, are not only numerically
most significant (11-12%) but also very aggressive and organised. Over
the past couple of decades, they have emerged as the most loyal vote
bank of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Aware that it would be difficult to wean the Jatavs away from Ms
Mayawati, Congress has identified a dozen sub-group within the Dalits,
including Pasis (3%), Valmikis, Koris and Dhobis (1% each) for special
attention. The party is seeking essentially to mop up the allegiance
of those who feel slighted by the Mayawati regime. Interestingly, over
the past year and a half, all of Congress general secretary Rahul
Gandhi's overnight stays in Dalit villages have been in non-Jatav
homes.
The party leaders have been reaching out to senior members and leaders
of these communities as well. Congress has attempted to build
partnerships with Justice Party chief Udit Raj and R K Choudhury, a
close associate of Kanshi Ram. These leaders have an influence across
sub-groups of the Dalit community. It has also activated local leaders
like former Congress MP Ramnihor Rakesh, who has a stronghold among
the Paswan community. These leaders have been holding meetings across
the state in a bid to drive a wedge in Mayawati's Dalit vote bank.
Another prong of its mission to woo the Dalit vote is its
participation in the Dalit Mahapanchayat. This meeting is expected to
be held in Lucknow in September. Testing the waters, the meeting will
not be a direct Congress initiative though several of its senior and
prominent leaders will be participating in this gathering.
During the elections to the 15th Lok Sabha in Uttar Pradesh, Congress
had secured the support of Muslims and the upper castes. It now wants
to fortify its position by getting a section of the Dalits to its
fold.
For Congress party, Uttar Pradesh is a politically crucial state.
Congress has traditionally viewed the state as a Nehru-Gandhi bastion.
Consolidating its position in the state would represent a huge
psychological boost for the grand old party.
In Bihar, chief minister has been wooing the poorer among the Dalits,
including the Chamars, as part of his project to widen his electorate.
To this end, Mr Kumar had, in 2007, set up the Mahadalit Commission to
identify these communities and earmark them for special focus.
------------------------------------
----
INFORMATION OVERLOAD?
Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to ZESTMedia-digest@yahoogroups.com, OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/
PARTICIPATE:-
On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com
TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:-
If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to ZESTCaste-subscribe@yahoogroups.com OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/
Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
ZESTCaste-digest@yahoogroups.com
ZESTCaste-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ZESTCaste-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
No comments:
Post a Comment