The wave of resentment within Punjab Congress unit after Cabinet reshuffle reached Delhi on Monday with sulking MlAs, most of them from the dalit community, arriving in the national capital to meet Congress president Rahul Gandhi to express their anguish for not giving due representation to the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and other backward classes (OBCs).
Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar has maintained that these MlAs have not gone to meet Rahul Gandhi specifically to discuss this issue, instead they were already invited to be there.
On the other hand, Congress MlA from Amritsar West Raj Kumar Verka, who met Rahul Gandhi, raised the issue of under representation to the Balmiki community in the Punjab Cabinet with the party chief.
“I have discussed the issue with the party president Rahul Gandhi that the scheduled castes, belonging from the Balmiki community, have not given representation in the Cabinet which is unjustified,” said Verka while adding that Rahul has assured him to look into the issue.
It has been learnt that no formal meeting was held, rather the issue was discussed during the party’s nationwide ‘Save the Constitution’ campaign, launched on Monday at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi, for which party’s all Dalit MPs and MlAs — both present and former, officials of zila parishad, civic bodies and panchayat samitis, along with the party office-bearers attached to its regional units have been invited to attend.
The campaign, to highlight alleged attacks on the Constitution and Dalits under the BJP-led regime, will continue till April 14, next year — the birth anniversary of Dalit icon and architect of Indian Constitution Dr BR Ambedkar.
The party’s state dalit leaders have been arguing that the Congress have 21 MlAs from the community including 10 each from Balmiki and Ramdasia category, and one from the Bazigar category.
“The Cabinet has two ministers from Ramdasia — Aruna Chaudhary and Charanjit Singh Channi, besides one from Bazigar — Sadhu Singh Dharamsot. But no representation was given to the Ramdasias,” a senior Congress leader said, adding that this has resulted in strong protest in the community.
The Congress leader pointed that every government in Punjab always have a minister from Balmiki community, and this is the first time that they did not get any representation in the Cabinet.
Jakhar maintained that the MlAs are disappointed but are not resenting. “We, the state leadership including Asha Kumari ji and others, even the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh are making every possible effort to placate the MlAs…there are many other responsibilities in the government,” he added.
However, the development has left the Congress party in tizzy, especially with all the opposition party exploiting the growing resentment within the party.
All the major opposition parties — SAD-BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — have been playing the dalit cards to take on the Congress party for not giving proper representation to the dalits in the Cabinet. They have been maintaining that the move has exposed Congress’ anti-dalit approach.
Sensing trouble and to nip the same in the bud, the state’s top leadership is devising a strategy to pacify the protesting voices. Jakhar, along with the state party affairs in-charge Asha Kumari, co in-charge Harish Chaudhary, held a meeting with some MlAs who raised their objections and register their protest against the Cabinet expansion.
Party’s three senior leaders and MlAs — Sangat Singh Gilzian, Surjit Singh Dhiman and Nathu Ram — have already tendered their resignations from all party posts in protest. Besides, Vidhan Sabha’s Deputy Speaker Ajaib Singh Bhatti, Raj Kumar Verka, Randeep Singh Nabha, Navtej Singh Cheema, and Gurkirat Kotli have came out in open to voice their anger.
Besides, many other hopefuls are also unhappy for being ignored in the expansion exercise but are protesting silently.
The party leadership is now promising the sulking aspirants with the plum posts of chairmanship in government’s boards and corporations.