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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal arrived in Lucknow to predict last Thursday that the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) will get less than 220 seats in the on-going Lok Sabha elections.
This is music to the ears of some BJP members in Uttar Pradesh (UP) who are working backstage to puncture the ballooning power enjoyed at the moment by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Modi and Shah duo is called the “Gujarat Lobby” in Lucknow, and their all pervasive influence in the government and in every aspect of the BJP organisation is disapproved by equally popular politicians in UP.
At a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, Kejriwal said that the trends show that BJP is getting less than 220 seats in the elections. Yadav who is the main opposition party leader in UP added that he does not see the BJP getting more than 143 seats out of 543 Lok Sabha seats being contested.
Both Kejiwal and Yadav are part of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, an alliance of opposition parties.
According to the loudest whisper in Lucknow, the Rajput lobby in UP is determined to cut down the interference by Delhi’s “Gujarat Lobby” in the already complex and quarrelsome politics of the largest populated state in the country that sends 80 representatives to the national parliament known for its famous caste rivalries.
It may sound odd but it seems it is the wish of the opponents of the “Gujarat Lobby” within the BJP to make sure that its own party does not get 272 seats required to form a government. The logic is that a not so powerful government in Delhi is expected to leave more breathing space for power sharing with other leaders.
In meeting after meeting Rajput leaders have been asking followers to stay away from voting for the BJP this time round. And UP’s CM Adityanath has not stepped in to save the BJP.
Today it is Shah who is travelling across UP to pacify rebellious BJP members like Rae Bareli Sadar state legislature Adity Singh. Shah also met SP leader Raja Bhaiya, said to be ‘a BJP supporter’.
It is not the CM who is placating the rebels within the BJP, but Shah himself. Every single vote is precious to the BJP that dreams of winning more than 400 seats.
Asking for votes last Sunday Shah said at an election rally in support of Dinesh Pratap Singh that if the BJP wins Rae Bareli it will be a sweeping victory for it. For that to happen the vote of both the Brahmin and Rajput is precious.
However, neither Rajput Aditi Singh nor Brahmin Manoj Pandey are canvassing for Dinesh Pratap Singh in Rae Bareli. Pandey is a prominent Brahmin leader in Rae Bareli.
Brahmins are about 18 percent of the population, Rajputs are 11 percent and Dalits 25 percent. Pandey has yet to formally join the BJP but his son and brother have already joined the ruling party.
Shah did not succeed in convincing another Thakur, the seven-time legislature and president of Jan Satta Dal (JSD Loktantrik) Raghuraj Pratap Singh also known as Raja Bhaiya to support the BJP in the ongoing elections. Last Tuesday, Raja Bhaiya told his supporters to vote independently for whoever they liked.
Centuries Old Battlefield
For centuries UP has been a battlefield between the upper caste Brahmin and Rajput communities. The ‘battle’ was mostly over agricultural land in the past, and is about real estate today.
It is the backbone of the power and wealth enjoyed by the privileged population of UP, the poorest and most backward state in the country. Today, the population of the Brahmins in UP is about 12 percent while the Rajput number eight percent.
It is not surprising to hear a Rajput complain that throughout history they had taken the sword in hand and put their life at stake on the battlefield while the priestly Brahmin had stayed back to enjoy the harvest of victories won.
Scratch into any gang war making headlines today and discover that at the root of the war is buried caste vendetta.
A Set Of Fresh Problems
Independent India introduced fresh problems into the existing caste equation in especially the countryside of UP. Dalits and countless members of backward caste communities found opportunities to improve their socio-economic status after the country gained independence in 1947.
This gave rise to more rivalries amongst the population over resources in the state. Today the caste rivalries have mushroomed into an exhausting web of gang wars and competition at every level of society, throwing to wind the dream of a united one religious society.
Today, the government’s Agnipath scheme has made the Rajput angry in the Satha-Chaurasi villages of western UP. The villages want the old recruitment model back.
The area of Satha-Chaurasi villages is where the maximum numbers of people are recruited for the armed forces. While still in their teens, the youngsters begin preparing for a job in the army.
According to the new military recruitment scheme, the Agniveer’s job in the army will in the future last only four years, after which the youth has to look for another job. The employment will last less than the time spent in preparing for the job, is the argument of those who call themselves warriors.
For youngsters in these villages working for the Army is not just a job but a matter of pride and a reason to live. The Sisodia Rajputs are descendants of the soldiers of Maharana Pratap, while the Tomars trace their family to the Rajput king Anangpal Tomar.
The villages have been traditional BJP voters but now more and more villagers complained of dwindling representation in party tickets.
Rae Bareli Ka Barber
Meanwhile Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a little time off from addressing election rallies to surprise Mithun Kumar, a barber in Rae Bareli’s Lalganj district. Seeking a haircut, a smiling Gandhi requested the surprised barber to do the job.
Gandhi talked to the 28-year-old barber as his beard was being trimmed, and his hair cut. Mithun Kumar said that he had returned home from Mumbai due to the lockdown during the pandemic.
Although his shop is small in Rae Bareli he is happy to be back home. He told Gandhi that he earns about Rs 500 per day and a little more on Sundays.
When asked by Gandhi what was the most pressing problem of youngsters like him, Mithun Kumar replied it is unemployment.
