Party MPs asked to assure upper caste voters of their well-being
The BJP has asked its MPs to explain to upper caste voters in all States, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, the reasons for the party’s stand on the stringent SC/ST (Prevention of of Atrocities ) Act and assure them that it would not harm their interests and well-being.
In the run-up to the 2019 lok Sabha poll, the BJP’s Dalit outreach programme had experienced a setback when the Supreme Court sought to have safeguards in the Act so to avert its “abuse”.
In the light of SP-BSP’s emerging alliance in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh with 80 lok Sabha members, the BJP is trying its best to assuage upper castes whose complete support it would require in the State to ward off huge losses from the new rival equation with a large backing of a formidable Yadav-Muslim-Dalit combination.
BJP leadership is well aware that it received a huge 47.8 per cent upper caste support in the country in 2018 even as it was also backed by 24.5 per cent SCs and 38.7 per cent STs as reported by the lokniti Research Programme Survey at the Centre for the Study of Developing Studies.
As the Modi Government swiftly moved an amendment to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to “nullify” the court order and “remove any room for interpretation” by the courts and had later an amendment Bill passed in Parliament, it seeks to “pacify” upper caste.
“The upper caste MPs in the party have been asked to move to their constituencies and explain to the upper caste voters that they need not to be anxious on account of the stringent SC/ST Act and no injustice would be allowed against them,” said a senior party leader.
The CM meeting in New Delhi on August 28 deliberated the issue and asked party leaders to allay fear on account of cases under the SC/ST Act.
The UP Government has already scrutinised the pending cases in its bid to speedily disposal of the cases and award compensation to non-Dalits who were “framed”. The case of persecution of a retired Army Colonel, who was arrested under the SC/ST Act in Noida but later released by the court as CCTV footage cleared him of the charge was highlighted by upper caste voters to the BJP as the “abuse” of the law.
BJP makes bid to allay fear of SC/ST Act sting The Bench of Justices AK Goel and UU lalit in their order had laid down stringent safeguards, including provisions for anticipatory bail and a “preliminary enquiry” before registration of a case under the SC/ST Act. The judges noted there had been “instances of abuse” of the Act by “vested interests” for political or personal reasons.
As top BJP leaders are conscious of the tough lok Sabha battle ahead, the upper caste voters would be crucial to keep the party afloat even as it would need to woo Dalits who had voted for the BJP in a big way in 2014.