In an apparent attempt to turn the tide against rival Akalis in Punjab, the Congress party has decided to save its sinking ship by taking abode of Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde — party’s senior national Dalit leader.
Congress party is, in fact, turning to the Dalits in Punjab to provide the party with a plank to stand, after falling flat on the ground in the recently concluded elections.
As a part of its ambitious plan to retain them in the party fold, the party has decided to organise a massive rally at Jalandhar with Shinde as a star attraction.
“Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has been invited for a Dalit conference in Jalandhar where the issues related to the lower class people would be discussed,” said Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Partap Singh Bajwa.
Even as the date for the Dalit conference has not yet been decided, it is expected to be held sometime in July.
The Conference is expected to have the party’s entire senior Dalit leadership from the state participating and discussing the issues concerning them, problems they are facing, way out for the same, among other things.
Both the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had strong pockets of influence among Dalit voters with the Deras playing significant role in deciding who will form the next government. But, the 2012 Assembly polls clearly defined the division of Dalits over political lines.
Once the stronghold of the Congress, the party is now losing out to the Dalit vote bank. In 2012 State Assembly polls, the party had fared badly as far as its performance in the Dalit-dominated region — Doaba — is concerned.
Congress managed to win only 10 reserved seats out of the total 34 in 2012 polls in a state having highest Scheduled Caste population. If that is not enough, it has failed to secure a win even a single seat in Jalandhar district.
“Congress lost on 24 seats out of the total number of 34 reserved seats during 2012 Assembly elections. This was enough to indicate that the party is falling farther behind in securing its Dalit vote bank. Reasons may be the entry of the People’s Party of Punjab, Bahujan Samaj Party, among others, that divided the Dalit votes ,” a senior Congress leader, requesting anonymity, told The Pioneer. He indicated that the conference is going to be a “game-changer”.
The strategic move by the Congress assumed significance with the ensuing parliamentary polls on mind as around 32 per cent of Punjab’s population comprised Dalit community - the highest in the country.
Holding a large-scale Dalit conference is not the only move by the state Congress to reclaim its Dalit vote bank. It is also contemplating to forge a united opposition against the ruling SAD-BJP government by joining hands with the PPP, BSP, left parties, and others, in an apparent attempt to tap their areas of influence. The development assumes significance from the fact that the Congress has all along been facing defeats after defeats in the elections that took place in Punjab over the past two years - right from state assembly polls, to couple of bypolls and civic body polls.
Its continuous poll debacles, and incapability to dent the ruling SAD-BJP’s winning spree has advanced the party’s proposal to forging an alliance with the “like-minded” parties. The party is seriously considering to make a pact with the Bahujan Samaj Party, in Doaba, considered to be BSP’s stronghold owing to maximum Dalit voters.
Why ShindeIJ The Congress leader maintained that Shinde is the party’s Dalit face at the national level. “He is heading the crucial Home Ministry being the second Dalit leader to be the Union Home Minister after Buta Singh in Rajiv Gandhi’s regime,” said the leader.