In the Lok Sabha election, the downsizing of the BJP in states like Uttar Pradesh was largely attributed to the party’s failure to gauge the impact of a caste census war cry on Dalit votes. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s relentless harping of the issue paid off dividends. But five months down the lane, the BJP is using Congress’ Lok Sabha ‘Brahmastra’ against it in the Haryana election in the final leg of the campaign.
In his speeches in Haryana during the election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not directly address the specifics of conducting a caste census but rather focused on the broader implications of caste politics. Modi criticised the Congress for allegedly promoting caste-based divisions in society.
All parties are wooing Dalit voters, who constitute 21 per cent of the Haryana electorate. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), in alliance with local outfits, vie for a piece of the same pie that Congress is also aiming at. But the BJP is using this much-hyped idea of Gandhi to portray the Grand Old Party as a divisive force.
Addressing a public rally in Haryana’s Palwal, PM Modi said: “Congress wants to crush patriotism in this country by propagating casteism, pitting one community against another”, indirectly referring to Gandhi’s push for a caste census. But how does turning the tables on Congress over this issue give the BJP a chance to reap political benefits in Haryana?
The BJP, which has for the last 10 years banked on a non-Jat alliance, knows that Congress’s main face in the state — Bhupinder Hooda — is a popular Jat leader who is out to consolidate Jat votes that make up 26 per cent of the Haryana electorate. With the caste census buzz, this Lok Sabha election saw a significant shift in Dalit political preferences as the INDIA bloc garnered 68 per cent Dalit votes. The BJP believes that a not-so-subtle mention of Congress’ Dalit leaning may create a rift in the Jat consolidation for the Congress.
Meanwhile, the Dalit votes are also expected to be split between the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP)-ASP alliance and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD)-BSP alliance.
With Haryana’s 47 per cent electorate seeking to be split in BJP’s grand scheme of things, the party unveiled a three-pronged approach, with the prime minister referencing the Congress pitting caste against caste.
It began with the criticism of Congress as Modi accused the party of attempting to divide society along caste lines, suggesting that their push for a caste census was part of a broader strategy to foster divisiveness rather than unity. He labelled this as an effort to “crush patriotism” by emphasising caste over national identity.
Next was promotion of unity. The prime minister urged the people of Haryana to remain united, focusing on development, jobs, and the safety of citizens rather than caste identities. He contrasted Congress’ stand with the BJP’s approach, which is towards uniting the country for progress rather than dividing it. Bringing in the reference of the Bhagwad Gita, PM Modi said: “This land of Haryana has given us the message of Gita. Haryana has taught us to work hard. But Congress’s formula is to neither work nor let others work.”
The third push was the election strategy. While not directly commenting on the policy of a caste census, Modi’s narrative was shaped around how BJP’s governance has focused on development and transparency across various sectors, implicitly contrasting this with what he portrayed as Congress’s divisive tactics. “Congress’s politics is limited only to false promises, whereas BJP’s politics is based on hard work and results,” said PM Modi.
While the BJP knows it is fighting a decade of anti-incumbency, Jat anger and disenchantment in Haryana, it still hopes to put up a reasonably good fight by setting the narrative and splitting 47 per cent votes through it in the final leg of campaigning in the state.
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