Opinion: Vocal Dalits and silent Muslims! This time, is BJP’s loot sinking in UP?

Author: Anand Soondas
Life leaves Amit Sharma confused. Elections also. Some time ago he had three taxis in Ghaziabad. All these taxis had All India permits. Then during Covid he lost two of his cars. Now he is saying, ‘I will have to work hard to get my vehicles back.’ While taking passengers through Uttar Pradesh, he is surprised that elections can offer such difficult choices. To conduct voting in all 80 Lok Sabha constituencies, the state has to go through seven phases.

Afraid of ‘crossing 400 this time’?

Sharma said he had been agonizing for weeks over whether he should vote for the government in power or look for a stronger challenger “just with the intention of strengthening the opposition”. He said that a good administration is one which is always ready to serve the citizens. He says, ‘This can happen when the numerical strength of any one party or alliance in Parliament is not very high. Too much centralization of power leads to its abuse. A good opposition party is definitely needed. He is well aware of the sentiments that often emerge while traveling in UP. On the other hand, businessman Pulkit Garg in Shahjahanpur said that he would not like if BJP wins ‘400 seats as claimed’. Regarding voting for the saffron party, he is quick to say, ‘It’s just that it is not good for democracy.’

miss my sister

Mayawati’s ‘absence’ from the political arena has suddenly started pricking a large section of the Dalits of the state. In these elections, Scheduled Caste voters are feeling more empty than in any other election. Be it Nagina, an area with a significant presence of Dalits or Hathras, an area which shook the entire country in 2020 due to the rape and murder of a girl and the immediate burning of her dead body, all the Dalit castes expressed their wish that the BSP be strengthened. Should be.

In terms of ‘leaders’ and organizations that give priority to the rights of the underprivileged, their eyes are fixed on Mayawati and Chandrashekhar Azad. He wants Behenji’s return and Chandrashekhar’s rise. He often mentions words like ‘identity’ and ‘existence’. Sanoj Nigam, a teacher in Muzaffarnagar, said, “It would have been an easy decision for many of us to take.” When asked whether he also fears that the party that gets an overwhelming majority after these elections may make changes to the Constitution, he replied, ‘I personally do not think so, but in debates with my friends and relatives this is This issue comes up quite often. There are certainly some apprehensions. The opposition alliance INDIA has sown the seeds of doubt in the minds of the people.

What is in the minds of silent Muslims?

In a busy workshop at Ghantaghar in Meerut, a group of young Muslims asked me to show my ‘press card’ before answering some questions. One of them said, ‘Sorry, we need to know who we’re talking to.’ After this he told that he keeps an eye on political news and developments on social media, but avoids speaking openly as much as possible. He says, ‘It’s never too late to make a big deal. Whenever polarization happens, we never benefit. We are silent, we are afraid and we are cautious. But I think this time we will vote in larger numbers. We have taken great care in the selection of candidates and parties. Votes will not be divided unnecessarily. Not just in UP, I think similar thinking is everywhere. see you next…’

There is a lot of discussion about India Shining

The new Ram temple in Ayodhya has made many Hindus proud. He is happy and full of pride. His face lights up as soon as there is talk of ‘disappearance of stone pelters’ in Kashmir. UCC and CAA were rarely mentioned during the conversations and altercations at Chaupals and street corners, but India’s ‘growing stature’ in the world was much discussed.

However, some staunch supporters of the BJP also complained that many of the party’s MPs have become lazy and have stopped caring about their constituencies. Hotelier Samrat Gupta said in Bareilly, ‘They just keep doing Modi-Modi. And now he talks about the improving law and order situation in UP. Shouldn’t all this be left to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath? MPs hardly talk on local issues. Many people are extremely angry with him for ignoring their seats. Elections cannot be held only on the central government.

Road is a big issue

Agniveer has been a painful issue in certain areas sending youth to the army. The youth also talked about paper leak and unemployment. And yes, roads. Everyone wants shiny roads. In fact, the biggest complaint against the sitting MP in Farrukhabad was that he has done very little on this front. People said, ‘Look at districts like Mainpuri. We demand an expressway that will take us to prosperous areas.

It may be too early to say that Congress is on the way to make a comeback in UP because in the last decade it has missed many opportunities, lost its allies or remained silent. However, the way Dalits and Muslims are now seeing it as an alternative is somewhat shocking. Of course a lot needs to be done. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi should work there.