NEW DELHI: On 130 birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, two former NDA allies - Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP - wooed the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in Punjab while the ruling Congress rubbished their promises made for the community.
While SAD promised the deputy chief minister’s post to the Dalit community if it was voted to power in the next assembly elections, the BJP pledged an SC CM if won the state polls.
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday said in Jalandhar that his party will also set up a university after Ambekdkar in the state's Doaba region, which has a large Dalit population concentrated in Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala.
Dalits have nearly 32 per cent share in Punjab's population.
"Once the SAD forms the government in Punjab, the deputy CM will be from the Dalit 'bhaichara'. We will also establish a university in Doaba in Babasaheb's name," said Sukhbir, adding that his party is proud to follow the ideals of Ambedkar.
"We are committed to working for the weak and downtrodden," the SAD chief stressed.
On his part, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said, "If the BJP comes to power in the next Punjab Assembly elections, it would have a Dalit chief minister for the state."
Chugh slammed the Congress and SAD for allegedly trying to "mislead" the Dalits by "alluring them with false promises" of giving the deputy CM's post to a member from the community.
In a statement, Chugh ridiculed Badal for announcing that his party would appoint a Dalit deputy CM, asking "why not the CM".
"The Akalis should shun the practice of picking up a chief minister from a family and also from a particular community," said Chugh, whose party had an alliance with the SAD till last year, when it fell apart due to differences over the Centre's farm laws.
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh dubbed the promises made by both parties as "nothing but poll optics".
Given the shockingly "poor track record" of both the parties, which did "nothing" for the SC community during their 10-year-rule, they are now resorting to "political gimmickry" to woo the community with an eye on the 2022 elections, Amarinder Singh said.
"Sukhbir Badal is now promising a deputy chief minister but has nothing to show what he or his party in alliance with the BJP ever did for the community," said the chief minister in a statement.
It is ridiculous the way the BJP had quickly jumped on to the wagon to promise a Dalit chief minister if it is elected by the people of Punjab, he said, adding that given the angst against the party in the state over the farmers' issue, even finding one winnable candidate would be a challenge for them.
The CM also claimed that his government had implemented all the promises made by his party in the last elections.
He promised that his government will spend at least 30 per cent of funds under all government schemes for the welfare of the state's Scheduled Castes population.
(With agency inputs)