On his way to Allahabad from Varanasi Airport on 31 May, Shah will halt at Jogiyapur village to share a meal with a Dalit family.
Advertisement
Ever since the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014, there has been a concerted effort to appropriate Dalits and their icons. As a long-term strategy, BJP was cruising along on a smooth line.
But barely a year away from the all-important election of Uttar Pradesh, BJP President Amit Shah has upped the ante in his pursuit of the elusive Dalit vote.
Taking a swipe at BJP chief Amit Shah’s plan to have a meal with a Dalit family in Varanasi, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today charged it was being done with an eye on the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls and said the Samajwadi Party does not see people on the basis of caste. After the holy dip he also had a “Samrasta Bhoj” (social harmony feast) with Dalit sadhus. But its intent was not lost on anybody.
BJP’s Eastern UP Media-Incharge Sanjay Bhardwaj informed that Shah will share the afternoon meal in the village with Girjaprasad Bind and Ikbal Bind’s family, who belongs to the dalit community. “The BJP has never been a patron of the Dalits”, he said.
The ruling SP and BSP were quick to criticise this.
BSP chief Mayawati slammed Mr. Shah for indulging in “drama” and compared his act to that of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s many visits to Dalits homes in the past.
Claiming that the BJP government is making reservation for Dalits ineffective, Mayawati said the government has halfheartedly built a couple of memorials for B R Ambedkar only to gain political mileage. “2017 is a completely different election and we will have to acknowledge the changed ground reality”.
Advertisement
Local BJP workers and leaders had started arriving in Jogiyapur on Monday night.
