UP: Congress names Dalit import from BSP as UPCC chief

LUCKNOW: The Congress finally declared the name of Brijlal Khabri, a Dalit from Bundelkhand, as the UPCC Chief on Saturday. Along with it, the Congress central leadership also introduced a new system of appointing six regional presidents as has been the system in the BJP.
However, the list has led to a sharp reaction on social media against the grand old party as six out of seven people in the list are not originally from the Congress. Only Yogesh Dixit, who has been appointed as one of the regional presidents, has his origin in the party. Even the newly appointed UPCC chief Brijlal Khabri is a turncoat who shifted from the Bahujan Samaj Party to Congress in 2016.
Political observers believe that since four out of six regional chiefs are those who have switched over from BSP, this reflects the sorry state of affairs in Mayawati-led party.
A party which had Dalits as its vote bank once is now limited to a party of Jatavs, a senior politician concluded in an informal chat. Out of the six regional presidents, Naseemuddin Siddiqui was the BSP’s backbone not very long ago. Besides, leaders like Lalji Varma, Ram Achal Rajbhar and many others, too, have taken political shelter in other parties. "It's time for the BSP leadership to rework its strategy if it has to improve its performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections," say political observers.
Those who have been appointed regional chiefs include Ajay Rai, who was earlier with BJP; Virendra Chaudhary, who contested on BSP ticket in 2012; Nakul Dubey, who was a cabinet minister in the BSP government, and Anil Yadav, who contested election on a BSP ticket before joining the Congress. Yogesh Dixit, the sixth of the regional presidents, started his political career with the Youth Congress. Before 2016, Khabri was a zonal coordinator in the BSP which gives him experience of working in a big organisation. He has been an MP from Jalaun and was also sent to Rajya Sabha once by the BSP. According to Congress insiders, Virendra Chaudhary is likely to get the Gorakhpur zone, Ajay Rai Prayagraj zone, and Nakul Dubey Awadh zone. Similarly, the Brij zone will go to Anil Yadav, Bundelkhand to Yogesh Dixit and West UP to Siddiqui. A former Congress member Zishan Haider tweeted: “Are bilkul baura gaye hain- …kisi Congressi ko bhi bana dete toh Khushi hoti. (They have gone mad. Would have been happy had anybody from Congress been appointed).”
Political experts believe that there is nothing wrong these days in appointing turncoats on prominent positions. Even BJP has several turncoats as ministers and even deputy CM. "However, what makes things little different in case of Congress is that none barring one is from Congress background," says one adding- ,"This only shows the dearth of leadership in the party." However, a senior Congress leader preferring anonymity said that it was not that Congress had a dearth of leadership, but such Congressmen are not ready to bow to the diktat of a coterie which is active in the Uttar Pradesh Congress. "Secondly, there are leaders which the coterie knows won't dance to its tunes hence their names are not sent to the central leadership," he said.
LUCKNOW: There are a few names which came up for discussion but were not considered primarily for this reason, another Congress leader said and added that one such name which was in the contention was from eastern UP. "However, the name was not considered for the obvious reason of not falling in line with the coterie," he said. However, the past background notwithstanding, the Congress has tried to keep caste equation in mind as Khabri is a Dalit. While of the six regional presidents, two are Brahmins, one a Muslim, one Bhumihar and two from backward castes.