Congress steps up focus on Dalit outreach in UP

LUCKNOW The Congress has intensified its focus on Dalit and backward community mobilisation with its scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and backward classes wings launching separate campaigns afresh to woo deprived classes.

Its Dalit wing has launched the Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim and Jai Samividhan campaign again this month holding ‘chaupals’ in Dalit dominated areas (to be run till BR Ambedkar’s birth anniversary on April 14) while the backward classes department has added ‘Mandal’ to their slogan and holding Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Mandal and Jai Samvidhan conventions in various districts (to end in March or early April).

Both programmes are being run with the objective of connecting with Dalits and backward classes to educate them about what the grand old party has done for their welfare. It is also subtly telling them about how the BSP may have drifted away from the mission launched by architect of the Constitution of India BR Ambedkar and BSP founder Kanshi Ram.

What does this mean for the Congress in UP? An indication comes from Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s observations in Rae Bareli earlier this month. “Why does Mayawati not fight elections as it should do. We wanted Behenji to contest against the BJP with us. But Mayawati ji did not fight (with Congress) for some reason. If three parties (Congress, SP and BSP) had fought the election together, the BJP would not have won elections,” said Gandhi interacting with Dalit students at Dalit Chhatra Samvad at a hostel of Dalit students in Rae Bareli recently.

He also unveiled the statue of Rana Beni Madho, a revolutionary of 1857 and garlanded the statue of Veera Pasi (commander of Rana Beni Madho), also a hero of 1857 revolution, along with that of BR Ambedkar.

Will this work? The Congress wants consolidation of Dalits and a section of backward classes that party leaders feel began in 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The party won six Lok Sabha seats in 2024 polls against one in 2019. “We are reaching out to the Dalits to educate them how the Congress has followed the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar. The BJP wants to change the Constitution and do away with reservation. This became evident in the case of recruitment of 69000 teachers in UP. BSP has forgotten Kanshi Ram’s mission and we want to take the same ahead,” said UP Congress’s Dalit Wing chairman Tanuj Punia, adding, UP is the only state where this programme has been launched afresh.

“The BSP has derailed the programmes launched for the uplift of deprived classes by Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and BSP founder Kanshi Ram. Th party does not undertake any programmes and instead targets the opposition in elections. The Congress and Rahul Gandhi at the same time have been taking up issues concerning the backward classes and the Dalits while the BSP has been targeting the grand old party. The people have understood this,” said UP Congress Committee backward classes department president Manoj Yadav.

BSP chief Mayawati launched a frontal attack on the Congress on social media early this month, stating: “The Congress party, especially, which has disdained at every level the humanitarian struggle of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar for self-respect and self-esteem of millions of exploited and oppressed Dalits/Bahujans, even during his lifetime and after his death, can never be true and trustworthy to his thinking and policies.”

But the Congress appears to be continuing its focus. “Those in the BSP feel frustrated as the party is not pushing ahead with the mission launched by Kanshi Ram. We convene conventions and tell people about the reforms that the Congress has carried out for the deprived sections. We propose more such conventions,” said Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan convenor Anil Jai Hind.