Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday exhorted the cadres of the BJP’s OBC allies in Uttar Pradesh to support his party’s ‘Mission 300’ in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and ensure a third consecutive term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre.
Making a strong pitch for consolidation of backward caste voters in the state, he also said Uttar Pradesh got rid of the “divisive forces” of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party after the BJP and the Apna Dal (Sonelal) joined hands.
He was speaking at a programme in Lucknow to mark the birth anniversary of Apna Dal founder the late Sonelal Patel, father of Union minister Anupriya Patel.
He repeatedly emphasised that in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP would contest the parliamentary elections in alliance with Apna Dal (S) and Nishad party, another OBC group that claims the loyalty of influential riverine communities.
“You are cadres of Apna Dal (S) with whom we have jointly fought and won four elections since 2014. Now, ahead of 2024 LS polls, I am here to ask you if you want to make Modi ji PM again?” Shah said with Maharashtra’s Dalit leader and Union minister Ramdas Athawale for company..
As the Apna Dal (S) cadres waved at the stage and audibly approved Shah’s call, the Union home minister asked again, “So you again want to form a 300 plus NDA government at the Centre?” The cadres nodded approvingly yet again, and Shah promptly tasked them to unite behind their leader and Union minister Anupriya Patel.
{{/usCountry}}As the Apna Dal (S) cadres waved at the stage and audibly approved Shah’s call, the Union home minister asked again, “So you again want to form a 300 plus NDA government at the Centre?” The cadres nodded approvingly yet again, and Shah promptly tasked them to unite behind their leader and Union minister Anupriya Patel.
{{/usCountry}}“Sonelal Patel made efforts to usher in happiness in the lives of the poor people from different sections by uniting them. He went to jail and even faced torture, but he did not leave the path of struggle undertaken for the backward people.
“It is a matter of happiness that the path shown by Sonelal Patel has been taken forward by Anupriya ji in continuing to work for the backward people,” he said.
Shah said they “have to once again make Apna Dal (S), BJP and Nishad party win on all the seats of UP” in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Shah’s call to Apna Dal (S) cadres was interpreted as an attempt to negate attempts by opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) to make a dent in BJP’s kurmi votes. The Apna Dal (S) is essentially a party of Kurmis, the same caste as Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar who has been spearheading opposition unity efforts. Kurmis are among the biggest OBC groups after Yadavs in Uttar Pradesh.
The SP had contested the 2022 UP assembly polls with the Apna Dal Kamerawadi faction headed by Anupriya’s mother Krishna Patel and the two are expected to contest the 2024 polls jointly as well.
Underscoring the significance of allies and BJP’s ability to take them along together, Shah also referred to the 27 OBC ministers in the present Modi government. He said this was the biggest batch of Dalits, tribals and OBC ministers ever in the NDA government.
On the eve of Shah’s arrival, another former OBC ally of the BJP, the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party had shown its support for Uniform Civil Code (UCC). However, Shah or any other leader on the Apna Dal (S) stage stayed clear of dropping any hints on prospects of an alliance with the SBSP.
Nevertheless, Shah spoke of how Yogi Adityanath’s government in UP had ensured respect for all icons of allies.
“In Azamgarh, a university has been named after Maharaja Suheldev Rajbhar while in Pratapgarh a medical college has been named after Apna Dal founder Dr Sonelal Patel,” Shah said.
The SBSP reveres Suheldev Rajbhar, a medieval king from OBC community on whose memory Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also released a stamp in 2019. Shah also listed various initiatives for OBCs under Modi.
INDIA SECURE UNDER MODI
Shah said under PM Modi the country was secure as he compared the situation with the UPA government led by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh whom he referred to as “mauni baba (silent man)”.
“Remember how under the UPA government of Sonia and Manmohan, the Pak-sponsored terrorists would attack and kill soldiers. So, when the terrorists attacked in Uri and Pulwama, they realised it was not the rule of mauni baba Manmohan Singh as, under Modi ji’s leadership, India ensured a befitting reply to Pakistan,” Shah said.
He said the country now feels safe under Modi.
OBC INITIATIVES
“PM Modi has brought about a change in the lives of 60 crore poor, mostly OBCs and Dalits,” Shah said.
“Under Vishwakarma Shram Yojana, more than 68,000 trained craftsmen were provided help of more than ₹100 crore,” he added.
He hit out at the Congress as well as the SP and BSP that backed the Congress-led UPA government, stating that though they were part of ruling alliance many times, yet they never accorded constitutional status to the OBC commission, something that was done by the Modi government.
“The 27% quota in MBBS admission, OBC students’ tuition fee waiver, reservation in NEET, 27% reservation in petrol and gas agencies, disbursing scholarships of OBC students directly into their accounts, besides setting up a venture capital to fund to help OBC entrepreneurs are some of the many initiatives reflecting proof of Modi government’s honesty,” he said.
Shah also praised the Yogi Adityanath government for law and order and for ensuring employment to OBC youth.
“In 2014, Modiji had said that his government would be devoted to Dalits, backwards and tribals. Unlike the Congress, these weren’t empty boasts as in nine years more than three crore houses for the poor have been made, about 10 crore poor have cooking gas cylinders and in UP Yogi ji has ensured benefits to 1.75 lakh poor people,” he said.
“For education of daughters, Sukanya Samruddhi scheme was launched and PM Kisan Samman Yojana benefitted 11 crore farmers. And 70 crore poor have been availing free ration for last three years under Garib Anna Kalyan scheme,” he added.
Reacting to Shah’s remarks, Samajwadi Party spokesman Abdul Hafiz Gandhi said, “The BJP is overconfident. Karnataka-like results await as the BJP would face a rout in 2024 Lok Sabha polls.”
Congress spokesman Ashok Singh said, “Amit Shahji is not just a BJP leader but also as the country’s home minister he owns a post of great responsibility. He should choose his words wisely as calling the opposition parties divisive certainly reflects poor word selection. Is it right to run the opposition down in such brazen manner in a democracy? He must reflect.”