Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at a poll rally in Bihar’s Begusarai on Sunday said that if the Opposition grand alliance, or Mahagathbandhan, comes to power, the government would work for the most backward classes, backward classes, minorities as well as the poor from the general castes.
Gandhi’s assertion, according to a senior party functionary, sends two messages in the poll-bound state — it will not be a Yadav-dominated government; and the Congress will play a key role for social justice.
As the battle for backward and Dalit votes intensifies between the ruling NDA and the Grand Alliance in Bihar, the Opposition bloc hopes that Gandhi and his latest brand of politics will appeal to Dalit and Extremely Backward Class (EBC) voters and pay electoral dividends.
“Rahul Gandhi is best suited to bring Dalit votes and the EBC votes for the Mahagathbandhan. He has tirelessly fought for Dalits and he was the main leader to push for caste census. Gandhi also led the Mahagathbandhan to release a special Nyay Patra (charter) for the EBCs. All these steps have made him the most reliable leader for the EBCs and the Dalits,” Avinash Pande, Congress general secretary for Uttar Pradesh, who is among the observers appointed for Bihar, said.
Ashok Bharti, chairman of National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACADOR), told HT that Gandhi has been able to “instil confidence among the Dalits and OBCs that he is serious about social justice and he is the best person in the Opposition to attract Dalit, Adivasi and Backward votes.”
{{/usCountry}}Ashok Bharti, chairman of National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACADOR), told HT that Gandhi has been able to “instil confidence among the Dalits and OBCs that he is serious about social justice and he is the best person in the Opposition to attract Dalit, Adivasi and Backward votes.”
{{/usCountry}}Bihar has 38 reserved seats for Scheduled castes and two for scheduled tribes. In the 2020 assembly polls, the NDA won 21 of the 38 SC reserved seats while the Opposition alliance won the remaining 17. Both alliances won one tribal seats each.
A senior Congress leader from Delhi maintained that Gandhi has started his Bihar campaign with a Nyay Patra for the EBCs — a core constituency of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.
The 10-point charter promised special act for atrocities against EBCs, reservation in government contracts and 30% reservation for EBCs from the current 20%, which was done by Kumar.
“In his poll speeches, he specifically talks about Dalits and backward castes. In Bihar, Tejaswi Yadav carries a baggage of being a Yadav leader. Other leaders primarily caters to their caste groups, barring the Leftists. Gandhi, in this situation, is in an advantageous position to woo the backward votes,” said a leader involved in the Bihar campaign.
To be sure, it is easier said than done for Rahul Gandhi to bag EBC and Dalit votes for the Grand Alliance. The NDA, led by Kumar in Bihar, has strong Dalit leaders and Kumar has established as a champion of backwards. Leaders such as Jitin Ram Majhi, Chirag Paswan adds more power to the NDA in its caste outreach than the Grand Alliance.
According to a Congress leader based in Patna, Gandhi’s rallies and campaign for the remaining days is expected to focus on the Dalits and backward castes to reap the political dividends.
“His campaigns are being planned in that manner,” said a senior Congress leader aware of the details.