By Rahil Nora Chopra
With the overhaul of Uttar Pradesh Congress in the works, PCC chief Raj Babbar has all but given up office and is said to be already busy with his other works. He is not at all keen to continue in the post. UP being a caste ridden state, Congress has actually made a mistake in appointing a PCC chief who belongs to a caste which is not relevant in the state. Raj Babbar, a Khatri, does not belong to a caste with any significant presence in the state or within Congress. The Khatri population in UP is negligible and found only in some areas like Allahabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, Faizabad and Saharanpur. In fact, Khatris constitute only 9 percent of the total population of the country. They are found mostly in Punjab and Delhi. Before Raj Babbar, the Congress had appointed Nirmal Khatri, another Khatri from Faizabad, who had no base in UP. He proved to be a disaster when at election time he was replaced by Raj Babbar.
Raj Babbar’s USP was that he had a secular and a cosmopolitan face and could draw people from every section of the society. He was an ex Samajwadi and a saleable face among the Muslims of UP. Congress thought that his appointment would please the Muslim community as he is married to the daughter of one of the most illustrious Muslim families of UP. But in the polarisation game of BJP he too failed to make any mark. Now having suffered defeat in UP., Congress seems to have woken up to the findings of the Antony Committee, which warns against too much of Muslim appeasement. Now back to basics, the Congress leadership has started searching for a young Brahmin face as there is widespread feeling in the party that this is the right time to tap the upper caste, which has been deserted by the BJP in its drive to attract Dalits. Congress President Rahul Gandhi is said to have sounded a hunt and in the long queue of lobbyists there are Rajesh Mishra, Jitin Prasada and Lalitesh Pati Tripathi. If congress sources are to be believed, the party leadership is now zeroing on Jitin Prasada. He is not only young but also belonging to the well known Brahmin family of Jitendra Prasad.
NO TAKERS FOR BAHUGUNA CENTENARY
The slogan ‘Himalaya Ka Chandan Hemvati Nandan’ seems to have not takers in his own birthplace, thanks to the infighting in the Uttarakhand BJP. The state government has not organised any programme to mark Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna’s birth centenary year, although his son Vijay Bahuguna is a former chief minister of Uttarakhand is now in BJP while his sister Rita Bahuguna is a minister in Uttar Pradesh. The central government has issued commemorative stamp at a programme organised in Prime Minister house and the Yogi Government in UP has organised so many programmes on his birthday. But in Uttarakhand, where the people proudly gave him the title Himalaya Ka Chandan Hemvati Nandan, the veteran leader goes uncelebrated.
MORE NITISH MEN LEAVE HIM
After Jitan Ram Manjhi left Nitish Kumar, another former confidant, Narayan Chaudhary, has also deserted the chief minister. Nitish Kumar had made him the Speaker of Vidhan Sabha. In fact, Choudhary was the first Dalit speaker of the house. There are reports that Shyam Rajak, another Nitish man, is also going to part ways with Nitish. Bihar political observers attribute these desertions to the feeling that Nitish Kumar has left the Dalits and he is now depending on Ram Vilas Paswan for the Dalit votes and everyone knows that Paswan always takes his decision just before the elections as he only trusts himself. It seems that Sanjay Paswan will be the only Dalit leader who will remain with Nitish Kumar.
DISCONTENT AMONG DALIT CONGRESS LEADERS
Discontent is simmering within the Dalit leadership of Congress as it feels that there is no point in staying in the party any longer. The Dalits have, in fact, moved over to the AAP party in Delhi and the results of the assembly polls in UP show that a majority of the non-Jatav dalits voted for the BJP. According to Congress sources, there is no dearth of Dalit leaders in the Congress whose services can be utilized. Suresh Kanojia, who runs an organization called the Dalit Muslim NGO, is one such prospect. He is dhobi by caste and is even close to Mayawati. Then there is Jai Kishan, who was a five time MLA from Sultanpur Majra in Delhi. Jaikishan is a balmiki by caste and has a solid mass base as per the Congress standards, but he is a victim of the Congress infighting .With AAP having walked off with the balmiki votes, it is believed that the Congress leadership would do well to accommodate him.
RAHUL’S WARNING AGAINST INFIGHTING
Congress President Rahul Gandhi has called a meeting of party leaders from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh to discuss the strategy for the coming assembly elections in these states. He has instructed them to strictly work collectively and that the chief minister candidates will be declared after the elections. He warned them that any kind of infighting between the leaders will not be tolerated. (IPA)
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