CONGRESS RETURNS T0 DALIT POLITICS AHEAD OF STATE POLLS

Congress is contesting Bihar polls with Dalit concerns as its central plank

- AJIT MAINDOLA

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.

Congress is once again positioning itself at the forefront of Dalit politics. This has worried both the BJP and the government. Seeing Congress’s aggressive strategy, the BJP has deployed its leaders and ministers to defend the government. However, Congress appears to be intensifying its campaign.

Congress launched a banner called “Bahujan Samaj” and held a march to Parliament House in Delhi on Saturday and named this campaign “Save the Constitution.” In fact, over the past few days, three or four such incidents have occurred in different states, giving Congress fresh opportunity to engage in Dalit politics.

Congress already engages in politics with backward and extremely backward classes. It is contesting the Bihar elections on the issue of saving the Constitution and increasing the reservation limit. But now the Dalit issue has also been added toit.

Incidents such as the attempt to throw shoes at the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the lynching of a Dalit youth in Rae-bareli, Uttar Pradesh, the suicide case of an IPS officer in Haryana, the school accident in Jhalawar, Rajasthan, the attack ona Dalit woman in Sawaimadhopur and the increasing cases of atrocities against Dalits in other states have given a big opportunity to the Congress.