BJP wary of impact of wrestlers’ protest on Jat votes in 3 states

Amit Shah on Saturday night met the wrestlers, who are demanding the arrest of BJP MP and WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Efforts of the Bharatiya Janata Party to end the stalemate with protesting wrestlers, now being helmed by home minister Amit Shah, has picked pace as the party is unwilling to risk losing support of the Jat community that wields clout in at least three northern states, said functionaries aware of the details.

Since the wrestlers are from the Jat community, the BJP is concerned that its continued efforts to build ties with the caste group dominant in large parts of Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Delhi will be undone. (PTI)

Read here: Bajrang Punia opens up days after wrestlers' meeting with Amit Shah

The BJP leadership is also wary about allowing a perception to prevail that the party lags in finding solutions to deadlock, they said, seeking anonymity.

Since the wrestlers are from the Jat community, the BJP is concerned that its continued efforts to build ties with the caste group dominant in large parts of Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Delhi will be undone. The Jats can influence electoral outcomes in as many as 40 Lok Sabha seats in these states, party leaders said.

“After the 2016 Jat agitation (for reservation in jobs) in Haryana, the BJP has been cautious about how the community perceives the party,” said the functionary. “Although in western Uttar Pradesh, where the community is powerful, the BJP fared well in the assembly polls, there is concern that the allegations may negate the goodwill that the government has gained based on governance,” the functionary said.

The support the BJP drew from Jats in western Uttar Pradesh was largely based on issue of women’s safety and claims by the Yogi Adityanath government about zero tolerance on crimes against women. “That claim stands invalidated if the community feels that the party has overlooked the safety of their behen-beti (sisters and daughters) to save a bahubali (muscleman),” said a second party leader.

Women’s safety was counted as a major reason for the community drawing close to the BJP after the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots.

Shah on Saturday night met the wrestlers, who are demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a BJP lawmaker from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh, who they allege in his capacity of chief of the Wrestling Federation of India had sexually harassed female wrestlers.

“With the home minister stepping in, the wrestlers’ concerns have to a large extent been addressed, and some of them have returned to their jobs,” the first functionary said. “Since law enforcement agencies are examining the complaints, the opposition that had politicised the issue has now lost another opportunity to target the BJP government,” the first functionary added.

The BJP has accused the opposition, particularly the Congress party, of using the protest to wedge differences between caste groups. “Congress leaders, particularly the Hooda family in Haryana, have used the wrestlers to turn the issue into a Jat versus BJP fight,” the first functionary said. “And since Singh is a Rajput leader, they tried to peddle the narrative that the BJP is backing one caste group over the other,” the functionary added.

On Shah’s meeting with the wrestlers, the second functionary said that after the farmers’ protest over the now repealed farm laws, when the party expected to face a backlash in Uttar Pradesh, it was Shah who initiated an outreach through doorstep canvassing.

“Ahead of the (2022) UP elections, Shah went campaigning in Kairana. He also met khap (traditional community organisation) leaders and that had a positive impact as it helped assuage the Jat community that was up in arms against the farm laws and the government’s handling of the situation,” the second functionary said.

Read here: ‘Crazy’: Mahua Moitra reacts to wrestler Bajrang Punia's claim after meeting Amit Shah

The party is equally concerned that there seems to be a perception that its troubleshooting abilities are being questioned.

“After the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the farm laws went on for a year, it is being felt that the party allows problems to fester. The time that party took to address concerns gives the impression that it eventually gave in after failing to convey its intent or under duress,” the first functionary said. “This is not a good look for a party that takes pride in being decisive and taking tough decisions,” the functionary went on to add.