DNA EDIT: Dalit outreach – Sensing trouble, the BJP lays claim to Ambedkar’s heritage

The BJP is in the election mode, perhaps even more than the opposition parties. Hard pressed to keep intact its Dalit voters, who appear to be slipping away, the party has begun a two-day Schedule Caste Morcha in Nagpur. The principal aim of the meeting, attended by about 5,000 BJP and RSS workers, was to brief them about the steps that have been taken by the Modi government to uplift the weaker sections of society, particularly in contrast to the UPA regime. But even more significant is the fight for BR Ambedkar’s legacy, which the BJP has been working assiduously to cultivate for the length of its tenure. On display are five places related to the Dalit icon’s life: a proposed memorial to be built at 26 Alipur Road where the Dalit leader spent his last days, his birthplace in Mhow, the place where Ambedkar lived and studied in London, the Deeksha Bhoomi in Nagpur where he acquired wisdom and the Chaitya Bhoomi in Mumbai. 

There are reasons for the BJP to worry. Its Dalit MP from Bahraich, Savitri Bai Phule, quit the party in December last year over what she called the party’s anti-Dalit policies. On same day, Bihar backward caste leader Upendra Kushwaha left the NDA alliance after his demand for more seats in the Lok Sabha was turned down. The BJP is aware of the discontent in its ranks. Of its total strength of 282 Lok Sabha MPs in 2014, 44 were from reserved constituencies. A few of its Dalit MPs have been vocal about the party’s stand on various issues, including reservation for upper castes. At inner party forums, they have protested against the alleged dilution of SC/ST Atrocities Act and escalating police violence against Dalits, which they claim, the party has not handled well. Hopefully, this two-day meeting will go some way in assuaging these hurt feelings.