BENGALURU: Will inaction or delayed response in rectifying the
Supreme Court order diluting the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, that led to violence in North Indian states, impact the BJP’s prospects in the May 12 election?
Opinions are divided.
BJP leaders said the Centre filed a review petition against the Supreme Court judgment on the SC/ST Protection Act, making the BJP’s stand clear, and this should end any controversy.
The government move came amid reports of widespread protests to mark the Bharat Bandh call by Dalit organizations. However, the narrative on the ground, as some
Congress leaders said, wasn’t just about dilution of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, but the statement by Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde to review the Constitution, a move seen to end reservation.
Though BJP chief Amit Shah clarified that this was not the party’s stand but Hegde’s personal opinion, the impression has taken root that there is a move to tinker with reservation. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comments in the run-up to the Bihar assembly polls in November 2015, calling for a review of the Constitution, had hurt the BJP grievously in that election.
Sources said Shah postponed his two-day visit to Mumbai-Karnataka region from Monday, worried that the Dalit violence in the northern states may have repercussions on Karnataka. Last week, Shah had to apologize to a Dalit gathering in Karnataka, after protests demanding that the party sack Union minister Hegde.
Shah, however, maintained that he postponed the visit at the last minute, as the party wanted him to be present at the Rajya Sabha debate.
The issue brought some respite for the Congress government, which was under fire from majority sects in the scheduled castes over the proposed categorization of reservation as per the
Sadashiva Commission recommendations. The Justice Sadashiva Commission was set up to examine and report whether the benefits of the government reached all sub-sects equally.
Siddaramaiah had set aside grants proportionate to their population, under pressure form some dominant communities among SCs, in favour of categorization of reservation. The issue started backfiring on the government as leaders and people from 98 of 101 castes among SCs protested against implementation of the recommendations. This set off apprehension that the Congress may lose its traditional vote bank.
