Dalit Rage How It Will Singe The BJP

The Dalit Upsurge across India has rattled the BJP, and provided a window of opportunity to the opposition. But, can it bring the Hindutva bandwagon to a halt.

- Pratul Sharma

April started on a cruel note. Nine people were killed and scores injured, most of them in states ruled by the BJP, as angry dalits protested the March 20 judgment by the Supreme Court banning immediate arrest of persons charged under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The show of strength by dalits left the ruling class stunned, even as it sent a big political message: Governments have to give dalits their due, however symbolic that due may be.

The fact that the agitation had no leadership pointed to the collective anger that has long been simmering. The desecration of dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar's statues, the continuing incidents of violence against dalits, the suicide of University of Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula, the rising demands for the abolition of caste-based reservations, and the BJP's alleged plans to review the Constitution have all caused resentment among dalits.

The spontaneity of the protests is a huge worry for the BJP. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party had been trying hard to appropriate Ambedkar's legacy. From nominating a dalit as Indian president to building monuments to Ambedkar, Modi had been actively trying to keep the dalits on the government's side, as they had voted in large numbers for the BJP in recent elections.

But, the BJP's dalit outreach is in jeopardy because of violent incidents in states ruled by the party. In 2016, as many as 40,801 cases of atrocities against dalits were registered across India. The BJP's ambivalence in dealing with these incidents has angered dalits. In Vemula's case, the party even tried to question his dalit identity.