Cong bid to woo Dalits

Black flags may thus indeed greet Prime Minister I K Gujral if he chooses to attend the State government’s celebrations to mark the Golden Jubilee of Indian Independence. The Brihanmumbai Pradesh Youth Congress is taking the lead in this regard, with indications that Congress president Sitaram Kesri, an invitee to the State government celebrations, might offer the Maharashtra government a snub by being conspicuosly absent on the occasion.

Says Charan Singh Sapra, BPYC president, “These parties have abused Gandhiji and commemorated (Nathuram) Godse. Now their violence against Dalits accords them even less moral authority to celebrate a movement that not only won freedom for the country but also dignity for the weaker sections. No self-respecting party or its leader can associate with this farce without compromising their future.”

Alongside such strong positions, the Congress also plans to let little grass grow under its feet in actively wooing the Dalits. `Peace and harmony’ have been co-opted as “bywords” for this campaign being stressed upon by Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Ranjit Deshmukh.Believing that the Sena-BJP alliance has been now wholly discredited vis-a-vis Dalits since the desecration Sushil Kumar Shinde, a Congress MP and himself a Dalit, has linked the firings to the Sena-led government’s anti-Dalit attitudes the Congress has lost no time in making mass contact at the village and taluka levels.

Deshmukh told Express Newsline he has issued instructions down the line that all grassroots workers must now labour towards stitching together the rents in the social fabric after the desecration of the Babasaheb Ambedkar statue led to the resurgence of resentments between Dalits and other sections of society.

He expressed concern at the renewed violence following the defilement of a statue of Lord Hanuman in Yavatmal by three drunken persons last week. The linking of Dalits to this desecration is seen as yet another example of a possible pogrom against Dalits. Deshmukh has appealed to all his partymen to ensure that the situation does not get out of hand. “Every Congress worker should make efforts to bring about peace and harmony. I am directing all party units in every district to ensure that this happens and that there is no more violence,” he said.

The MPCC has been encouraged by the success of its programme last fortnight to hold dharnas in every tehsil town of Maharashtra to protest against the July 11 events. “For the first time such a massive programme was undertaken in the state at such short notice. The response was tremendous,” Deshmukh said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Manohar Joshi and Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde might have to keep looking over their shoulder for a possible gherao when they are least expecting it. It is the normally placid Seva Dal that they must be wary of this time round. Its president Chandrakant Dayama has chalked out a state-wide programme for gheraos but is cagey about how to go about it for fear of tipping off the authorities.

Says Subodh Solankey, its vice president, “The Sena-BJP is muzzling the opposition and continuing with violations of law and order. So the Dal will be disciplined but operate guerilla fashion to register its protest.”