At centre of political storm: Dalit vote bank

Deepkamal Kaur in Jalandhar

Parliamentary elections are a year ahead, yet Dalit politics seems to have begun in right earnest in Phagwara, a small town in the Doaba region accounting for a huge 35 per cent SC vote bank.

Community leaders cutting across parties, who had been lying low for nearly a year since the Assembly elections, are again in action mode. The reports of the alleged dilution of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act by the Supreme Court in the last week of March and the very 

effective April 2 bandh in the region over the same issue came as the first sign of an increasing strength of the community.

The April 10 nationwide bandh call by the general caste, which was partly effective only in Phagwara, and its opposition by the Dalits leading to a small clash was yet another indication of the growing activism. Dalit leaders from all parties have been taking turns to visit Valmiki Chowk in Phagwara, giving speeches in favour of Dalit leaders booked under various cases. They have also met officials seeking cancellation of the FIR against some activists, making rounds to Dayanand Medical College at Ludhiana to enquire about the health of injured Yashwant Kumar, expressing sympathy with the family. Political statements are frequent.

So as to be heard and noticed more widely, these leaders have even been going to Jalandhar and Chandigarh to hold press conferences. Dalit Congress leaders, including Jalandhar MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh and MLAs Surinder Chaudhary and Sushil Rinku, have been blaming it on the SAD and BSP for fanning the protests. Phagwara BJP MLA Som Parkash has been demanding resignation of the Congress government for being "unable" to bring peace to the area.

All leaders are going agenda-wise, with some opponents joining hands while some alliance leaders drifting away. Som Parkash had a showdown with SAD Adampur MLA Pawan Tinu for visiting Parkash's constituency and supporting his opponent and Dalit leader from Lok Insaaf Party Jarnail Nangal, who has been booked for violence.

"While I was leading a peace march in the city, Tinu went to the ongoing dharna at Valmiki Chowk and gave a speech in favour of the protesting leaders. I told him not to interfere. I am also a Dalit but I cannot take sides in my constituency", says the Phagwara MLA, who has also been an aspirant from the reserved Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat. Also representing the right-wing party, Som Parkash obviously cannot go against the Hindus, who too have a huge dominance in Phagwara and Hoshiarpur.

Tinu, who had unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha polls from the reserved Jalandhar seat and is an aspirant yet again, is in no mood to fall in line. "These are the issues where party is secondary and a common Dalit cause is primary," says Tinu.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leaders, too, come to limelight. Party workers had a huge presence in the April 2 protest. Even during Ambedkar Jayanti function in Jalandhar, BSP workers gave some very embarrassing moments to BJP leaders by now allowing them to climb the staircase for garlanding the statue.