SP invokes ‘community pride’ for Gurjars’ support in Gautam Budh Nagar

NOIDA: With the election day round the corner, Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate from Gautam Budh Nagar Dr Mahendra Nagar is seeking his Gurjar community’s support by organising Mahapanchayats in different villages of each of the five segments of this parliamentary constituency.

Nagar has deployed all tall leaders of his community to unite his caste’s votes to put up a strong fight on this seat that will go to polls on April 26.

Samajwadi Party’s national spokesperson Pradeep Bhati, however, said that they require support of all castes and communities and not just of the Gurjar community.

According to estimates by political parties based on the 2011 census, there are approximately 13% Rajputs, 12% Muslims, 12% Gurjars, 7% Jatavs, 6% Vaishyas, 5.5% Jats, 4.5% Yadavs and 28% others.

Locally, Nagar’s supporters are wooing their fellow community members to support him for “community’s pride”.

“This Lok Sabha seat belongs to Gurjars because when it was first carved out in 2009 our community leader Surendra Nagar had defeated BJP’s Dr Mahesh Sharma. Also, Gurjar voters are in good numbers at this seat. If we stay united, we can defeat the BJP candidate here,” said Raj Awana, a resident of Asgarpur village.

Nagar’s team has convened Mahapanchayats in Devta village located in Greater Noida; Gulaothi town in Sikandrabad; Jewar and Khurja – to unite Gurjars and making an appeal to work hard and snatch away this seat from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) this time.

For this, they are also using slogans such as “Abhi nahi to kabhi nahi (if not this time, then never)” during these meetings.

The BJP has fooled the public in the name of religion, and discriminated in last ten years. They have divided all communities in the name of cast and religion, alleged Raghuraj Singh, senior Congress leader while participating in community meetings.

“It is the BJP that has not at all worked on their promises including jobs for youth, doubling farmers’ income, improving life of the poor and bringing investment in the country to boost growth. They have failed on all fronts. Therefore, people are angry with the BJP. It is the best time for people to teach the BJP a lesson and support Nagar,” he added.

In 2009, Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Surendra Nagar, a gurjar, had managed to humble the now sitting MP and BJP candidate Dr Mahesh Sharma by 15,904 votes.

“This could be possible because the majority of the Gurjar community was united along with SCs (schedule castes) and a section of Muslims at this seat. This time, BSP is weak. Therefore, Muslims and other communities will support our candidate and help us win this seat,” Singh asserted.

SP leaders are optimistic that this time their candidate has a good prospect to win also because of being supported by many parties of the opposition INDIA bloc.

At Sikandrabad’s Nayagao village panchayat Akhil Bharatiya Gurjar Mahasabha gave its support to Mahendra Nagar on Monday.

Dr Jileram Gurjar general secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Gurjar Mahasabha, in an official letter appealed to his community members, saying: “Dr Mahendra Nagar is working for society for the last many years and public knows this fact. Therefore we extend our support to him in this election.”

The Aam Aadmi party and Congress workers are also helping the SP to intensify its campaign in rural and urban areas. Following directions from senior leaders of AAP and Congress, the local workers are working in coordination with SP workers.

“SP candidate Dr Mahendra Nagar is seeking votes from all 36 communities in Gautam Budh Nagar Lok Sabha seat. Unlike BJP, we do not divide people in the name of caste or religion. Our candidate and different teams are going to villages and urban areas demanding votes on the ground that BJP has not fulfilled its promises made 10 years ago,” said SP’s national spokesperson Bhati.

“Also, we are seeking votes in the name of development that our government had done in 2012-17. It was our party’s government that the Metro was built in Noida and Greater Noida. And we are asking voters to support us so that we can address the issues of farmers, home-buyers and other needy people,” he added.

Reacting to SP and Congress allegations on the BJP of doing divisive politics, Noida BJP president Manoj Gupta said that it is the Congress and SP governments in the state and country that kept discriminating people on the basis of caste and religion.

“And people have understood their evil design. The people will give them a reply in this election like they did in 2014 and 2019,” he added.