NEW DELHI: The
BJP may be on an overdrive to woo the
Dalit community as it eyes electoral gains, but the party's efforts hit a fresh roadblock over Dalit anger targeted against the recent apex court order diluting the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Opposition parties and some Dalit outfits accused BJP of not coming up with a strong plea in defence of the Act and against the apex court order. Even the party's own MPs like Dalit activist Udit Raj said that the SC order has robbed the law of its bite. He said the anger among Dalits was not due to the SC order alone but incidents of atrocities against the community.
But rejecting any criticism, UP CM Yogi Adityanath said, "The central and state governments are dedicated towards the welfare of backward castes, SCs and STs. I appeal to all to not disturb law and order. If at all there are any issues, you can bring them to the government's notice."
The battle in UP is particularly keen as caste outfits SP and BSP have joined hands and BJP must try and retain Dalits, particularly non-Jatavs, to remain in the fight. It also needs the support of non-Yadav OBCs and upper castes, and the animosities between these groups can pose a serious threat to its delicate social combination.
The BJP leadership is also focused on poll-bound Karnataka, which has a significant Dalit population, and party leaders look to unite Dalits under a "larger Hindu parivar", a script shared with RSS. Dalits are an equally strong presence in north Indian states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, where assembly polls are due by the year end.
