Dalit Vote Bank in Punjab and Political Slugfest

 

Dalit Vote Bank in Punjab and Political Slugfest

  It seems, Dalit assertion in Punjab has come full circle, if one goes by the social media and political maneuverings by the ruling AAP in Punjab and BJP at the Center in New Delhi. The elections in Punjab are due in the first half of next year 2027. Obviously, no one can afford to ignore the huge Dalit vote bank with more than 34% population of the State, the highest in the country. BJP took the lead

with the conferring of Padma Award on Sant Niranjan Dass, Head (Gaddi Nasheen) of Dera Sachkhand Ballan and subsequent  and surprise visit of PM Narendra Modi to the Dera on the Gurpurab of Guru Ravidass on February 1. Besides these two important gestures, PM Narendra Modi also named the Adampur Airport in the Doaba region after the name of Guru Ravidass, a long pending demand of the people overwhelmingly populated by the followers of Guru Ravidass. All political parties and their leaders including the Congress, AAP, BJP and even the SAD and BSP are taking credit for this as it is said ‘success has many fathers and failure is an orphan’ but the BJP acted and pocketed the credit which will be spent in the elections next year. The followers of Guru Ravidass were expecting that PM Narendra Modi will share the roadmap of celebrating the forthcoming 650^th Jyanti of Guru Ravidass next year 2027 during his visit to Dera Sachkhand Ballan but he disappointed the people. He only knows as to why he reserved the pronouncement to some other occasion. BJP cannot afford to sit on the fence. Meanwhile, the AAP who was caught unaware of the sudden visit of PM Narendra Modi to placate the followers of Guru Ravidass, has taken quick action in damage control and pronounced the roadmap of the celebrations of 650^th Gurpurab of the great Guru by forming a high power committee of intellectuals and stakeholders with Finance Minister of Punab, Harpal Singh Cheema. The celebrations ware formally kick started with a solemn but impressive function on February 4 at Charan Cho Ganga (Tapo-Bhumi of Guru Ravidass) at Khuralgarh in Garhshankar (Hoshiarpur) as a befitting tribute to Guru Ravidass.

CM Bhagwant Mann also dedicated the Minar-e- Begumpura, a monument constructed to celebrate the theme Sabad of Guru Ravidass – Begumpur Sehar Ka Naon.  Many more such gestures to placate the Dalit masses of Punjab and beyond are resting in the corridors of power in Chandigarh and New Delhi which will be unfolded in due course of time in the coming months. Now it is up to the followers of Guru Ravidass how to use their assets at the hustings to their advantage. Unfortunately, as of now, dalit leadership in Punjab both in BJP and also AAP lack much needed credibility and standing. It is hard to sell the Hindutava plank of BJP and RSS to the dalit masses on one hand the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of BJP’s dalit leadership on the other. Similarly, the dalit leadership in the AAP need to assert and demand their share in the pie on one side and the AAP leadership should come out of the lip service phase to win over the dalit masses on the other.

Chupa Kar Asteen Mein Bijliyan Rakhi Hain Gardoon Ne
Anadil Bagh Ke Ghafil Na Baithen Ashiyon Mein

(The sky has kept thunderbolts concealed up its sleeve
Garden’s nightingales should not slumber in their nests)

Post script: On February 1, on the visit of PM Narendra Modi to Dera Sachkhand Ballan, I wrote spontaneously – “Today two boys of Bootan Mandi stole the show, I held the fort in the stidio of Doordrshan Jalandhar and Avinash Chander at Dera Sachkhand Ballan” as Avinash Chander was the Anchor and the only speaker at the congregation attended by PM Narendra Modi at Ballan. I was the special commentator at the DD Jalandhar on the Punjab visit of PM Narendra Modi.