Punjab: BJP’s latest Dalit outreach sets alarm bells ringing in Congress

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) latest Dalit outreach has set alarm bells ringing in the Punjab Congress.Giving political impetus to the 649th Guru Ravidas Jayanti on February 1, PM Narendra Modi is likely to fly along with Dera Sachkhand Ballan head Sant Niranjan Dass from Varanasi to Jalandhar. The dera head today left for Varanasi by train from Jalandhar.Taking note of the political manoeuvring by the saffron party, a senior Congress Dalit leader said the fact that the PM would be accompanying the dera head for events related to Guru Ravidas Jayanti is high on political symbolism.Senior Congress leader Khushaldeep Singh said the BJP’s move was a direct attack on the Congress vote bank and it was trying to repeat the Haryana model of consolidating non-Jat votes.Punjab’s Ravidassia community has always held sway in elections. With nearly 34 per cent population (that includes Ravidassia, Mazhabi Sikhs and Valmikis), the Dalit vote bank has traditionally been seen to be advantageous to the Congress before AAP came to power following the 2022 Assembly election.Congress leaders admit that the BJP had made this move at an opportune time when the Congress leadership is faced with backlash over the ‘Jat versus Dalit’ narrative after former Chief Minister Charanjit Channi — in an internal party meeting — had reportedly stated that upper caste leaders were occupying main positions in the state unit. Channi had won the reserved Jalandhar seat in the 2024 General Election by a huge margin of 1.24 lakh votes.Accusing the BJP of playing politics of polarisation, PPCC chief Amrinder Raja Warring said the BJP was trying to do in Punjab what it was doing in other states to gain power. “After 12 years, the BJP has woken up to the existence of Dera Sachkhand Ballan,” he said, adding the Congress did not believe in caste politics. “Those who have indulged in polarisation politics do not survive in politics. Only time will tell whether the BJP optics would hold or whether its true face will be exposed.”Channi said, “The Congress does not indulge in caste-based politics. Punjabis know the real face of the BJP. The saffron party must clear its stand on ‘Manusmriti’ that promotes caste-based discrimination and bias against Dalits.”

Punjab: BJP’s latest Dalit outreach sets alarm bells ringing in Congress

Congress leaders admit that the BJP had made this move at an opportune time when the Congress leadership is faced with backlash over the ‘Jat versus Dalit’ narrative

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Punjab: BJP’s latest Dalit outreach sets alarm bells ringing in Congress

Congress leaders admit that the BJP had made this move at an opportune time when the Congress leadership is faced with backlash over the ‘Jat versus Dalit’ narrative

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

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