Maha polls: Bhima-Koregaon behind them, Dalits campaign for development

The first day of 2018 marked the beginning of a new chapter in the Dalit movement and consequently the politics of Maharashtra. It saw the resurgence of the Ambedkarite

The first day of 2018 marked the beginning of a new chapter in the Dalit movement and consequently the politics of Maharashtra. It saw the resurgence of the Ambedkarite movement in the state, where the caste cauldron had been simmering since the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government came to power. The silent Maratha protests and subsequent reservations further pitted the Dalits and Other Backward Class (OBC) against the powerful community.

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After the violence at Bhima-Koregaon near Pune on January 1, 2018, Prakash Ambedkar emerged as a popular Dalit leader. His new political outfit, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), created an impact in the recent Lok Sabha polls, getting seven per cent of the total votes. Six months after the parliamentary polls, however, the electioneering of the VBA seems to have been muted.

The mood among the Dalit community, according to political analysts and observers, is that of resentment and doubt, especially after the Bhima-Koregaon incident. Analysts said the Dalit votes in the state could go against the BJP, as the government has failed to book the Hindutva elements accused in the violence.

As the state votes on Monday, which side will Dalits, the community which plays a significant role in the outcome, pick?

GROUND ZERO: BHIMA-KOREGAON

Villagers of Bhima-Koregaon, situated near Perne Phata on Pune-Ahmednagar road, witnessed riots during the annual gathering of Dalits at the victory memorial erected by the British in memory of those killed in the historic Battle of Koregaon in 1818. This turned into a major national issue, with the police arresting 10 activists from different parts of the country on charges of being “urban Maoists”. The repercussions of Bhima-Koregaon were felt across the state for the next one week with violence reported from various places, including Mumbai.

At the centre of the caste conflict in 2018, Bhima-Koregaon dominated India’s socio-political discourse through the year. A year later, at ground zero, however, local issues of development such as water, road and power cuts have taken front seat.

In the election campaign, opposition parties such as Congress-NCP rather preferred to focus on developmental issues instead of raising riots that broke out on January 1, 2018, a day after left-leaning organisations held Elgar Parishad at Pune’s Shaniwarwada. Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, an alliance of smaller communities, has also shied away from raising the conflict.

The village falls under the Shirur Assembly segment, which is currently represented by BJP MLA Baburao Pacharne, who is now seeking a re-election on a BJP ticket. He is being challenged by former NCP MLA Ashok Pawar and Kailas Narke of MNS, among others.

Vrushali Gavahane, the former deputy sarpanch, said, “We are over what had happened in 2018. We want to make our village a model for others in terms of development. Our village is an example of communal harmony and we want better civic infrastructure such as roads, water supply and transport, including environment preservation,” she said.

Santosh Patil, a businessman from the area, said “People were disturbed by the clashes and it took a lot of time for normalcy to return. Our village wants a representative who will talk of progress in education, health and environment. Preservation of the Bhima river is also the need of the hour.”

Former MLA Baburao Pacharne said, “We want to bring a change and it will be visible soon in the entire constituency. We want to uplift the people as per the mission of PM Narendra Modi.”

Countering the claim, NCP candidate Ashok Pawar said: “The BJP resorted to polarisation. We want peace here and focus on real issues.”

WILL VBA PROVE TO BE AN ALTERNATIVE?

In August, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis issued a statement that took many in the political circles by surprise – the next opposition leader could be from Ambedkar’s VBA, which is contesting 242 seats out of the 288 in the state Assembly. After hurting the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party in the Lok Sabha elections, the VBA has earned the tag of ‘B-team’ of the BJP.

Harish S Wankhede, assistant professor at the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, said the VBA will continue to have an impact, primarily because the Congress-NCP combine has failed to mobilise the Dalit voters. “They will get 9-14 per cent votes, keeping their vote share intact. They have good candidates. They could win or stand second in some places,” he said.

Wankhede said the Ambedkarite movement has been energized, with the VBA coming into the political landscape.

“The VBA created that presence after a very long gap. It will take a long time; it is a young party, [but] it is available as a political alternative to the Dalits. It will take time to create an alternative possibility of Dalit mobilisation. But there is promise. Many middle-class Dalit voters are turning towards the VBA,” he said.

Apart from VBA, the Republican Party of India (RPI-A), which is led by Ramdas Athavale and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have been Dalit-centric parties in the state for long, but have failed to create an impact.

Surendra Jondhale, Mumbai-based political analyst, credited Ambedkar for ending the factionalism among the Dalits political outfits, but questioned his strategy. “Is he contesting to hurt the Congress-NCP, or to defeat the BJP? It will not have as much impact like it did in Lok Sabha. Just contesting on the basis of caste will not help them win seats. Although other parties, too, do the same, they also back it with electoral strategies and visions, which is missing in Ambedkar’s campaign,” he said.

DALIT RESENTMENT OVER ‘INJUSTICE’?

After the Bhima-Koregaon violence, a section of the Dalit community felt resentment over the lack of justice from the BJP-led state government.

Somnath Waghmare, a research scholar from Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) and a documentary filmmaker, said, “There is bitterness among the community as the culprits have not been booked. There is anger in the community.”

Lawyer Keval Uke, who runs the National Dalit Movement for Justice, said, “What ultimately happened after the violence? No one was booked. The VBA came forward, but ultimately it is, by pattern or otherwise, helping the BJP. The community is in a dilemma.”

Wankhede said, “The Dalit voters do not form a strong homogenous, unified community which will vote for a party en bloc.”

The BJP, according to Wankhede, could benefit as it has played the Dalit card well.

“The BJP is handling the Dalit sentiment carefully. Their programme for Dalit appeasement is grounded. The Congress-NCP has not been able to handle the community, as the Marathas would be unhappy. The BJP does not have such fear. Therefore, the BJP is doing very well on this count,” he said.

“The BJP was an untouchable party for the Dalits, which has changed in the past 10 years. The BJP has made deep inroads in the community. Many of its elected representatives are from the Mahar and the neo-Buddhist communities now. However, it can’t be said the entire community is in the BJP bracket,” he said.