Yogi’s meal at Dalit household for publicity, BJP playing vote bank politics: Shiv Sena

MUMBAI: Days after Uttar Pradesh (UP) chief minister Yogi Adityanath enjoyed a meal at a dalit household in Gorakhpur, the Shiv Sena on Monday took on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying that the party is playing vote bank politics

MUMBAI: Days after Uttar Pradesh (UP) chief minister Yogi Adityanath enjoyed a meal at a dalit household in Gorakhpur, the Shiv Sena on Monday took on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying that the party is playing vote bank politics. An editorial in the Sena mouthpiece Saamana targeted Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling it a ‘publicity’ event. Sena leader and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut questioned as to when the BJP would forget the caste divide.

Yogi’s meal at Dalit household for publicity, BJP playing vote bank politics: Shiv Sena (ANI)

Saamana slammed the BJP saying that the caste divide is in the minds of the BJP leaders. The editorial taunted the BJP saying that a party which cannot let go of the caste divide is out to bring about a social transformation.

“BJP leaders still organise lunch in a dalit household and need to publicise it. This clearly shows that caste is in their minds and they are not ready to let go of it. The country has been divided on the basis of caste for political gains. So the caste eradication programmes are a mere sham... Even today, tickets to contest elections are distributed based on caste arithmetic. The chief minister and Prime Minister give importance to caste and organise meals. They can’t let go of caste and are out to bring about social transformation,” it said.

The editorial said that for the past few years, the BJP has used caste as a ‘formula for social transformation’. Referring to the PM who washed the feet of five sanitation workers in UP’s Prayagraj in February 2019, Raut said, “Modi took a dip in the river Ganga and then washed the feet of the dalits. Now BJP leaders are going to their homes. When will you forget caste? We are all human beings and there should not be any caste divide. But you go to a dalit household for meals, this is all pretense. Stop this vote bank politics otherwise the country will once again be divided on caste lines.”

As a policy, the Maharashtra unit of the BJP does not respond to criticism in the Sena mouthpiece.

Meanwhile, Raut said that the Congress, Samajwadi Party and other non-BJP parties in UP can bring about a change of guard in the largest state of the country. Uttar Pradesh goes to polls in February. Raut also dismissed BJP’s claims that it will win 300 seats. “The manner in which people have seen dead bodies in the Ganga and still they think they will win 300 seats? Will the bodies from the Ganga vote for them? Certainly those who suffered will not vote for them. Akhilesh (Yadav) must completely focus on the election and must take everyone together. People are looking at Akhilesh with a lot of expectations. We are contesting in UP but the power to bring about a change of guard is with the Samajwadi Party and Congress,” Raut said.