Two days after the protesters took to the streets to vent anger against the Centre’s studied silence over the alleged attempt to dilute the provisions of the SC/ST Act, the leaders of political parties based in Haridwar are now engaged in assessing their weakness and strength vis-a-vis the newly ascendant Dalit community in view of their numerical strength in the electoral matrix of the district. The observers are of the view that the strength of the Dalit community once consolidated can make or mar prospects of the parties at the hustings.
Many of the state watchers say that the Dalit rage that erupted on the sensitive SC/ST Act in Haridwar district of Uttarakhand signalled revival of Bahujan Samaj Party, deemed as the sole champion of the socially depressed classes.
They opine that the party would milk it to further consolidate the Dalit electors behind it during the upcoming local body elections. “If it yields good dividends for BSP which has been going through some rough patches for some time it would give both Congress and BJP a run for their money during the high-stake 2019 lok Sabha election in politically important Haridwar district where the community holds numerical sway,” says an observer.
The local Congress leaders say that the Dalit upsurge would not affect their electoral prospects in any way as it was directed against the ruling BJP. “The ruling party would face the consequences as the collective rage of the community that manifested recently was against the anti-Dalit policies being pursued by the party at the Centre and in the state in pursuance of the anti-Dalit agenda of their mentor RSS.
Add to it the wrath of the youth community disillusioned with the performance of the BJP governments and you can easily imagine what is in store for the saffronites ,” says a Congress leader Teerath Pal Singh.
However, BJP rubbishes such speculations and avers that the party has always been with the Dalit community. “ Attempts to Incite them here and there against us would not rupture the deep connect of the community with the party,” says a local BJP leader Janjeewan Ram.