In second visit in a month to poll-bound Bihar, Rahul Gandhi to again make ‘social justice’ pitch

This volition beryllium Gandhi’s 2nd sojourn to Bihar successful little than 3 weeks — connected the aforesaid societal justness plank. On January 18, Gandhi was successful Patna to be the Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan, arsenic portion of his thrust for “safeguarding the Constitution”. Over a twelve representatives of organisations moving for SCs and Economically Backward Castes (EBCs) were contiguous astatine the event, wherever Gandhi again talked astir a Congress authorities breaking the 50% ceiling connected reservation.

After the lawsuit connected January 18, erstwhile MP and All India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz (AIPMM) person Ali Anwar Ansari and “Mountain man” Dasrath Manjhi’s lad Bhagitath Manjhi, a societal idiosyncratic from the SC Musahar community, had joined the Congress.

A elder Congress person said the societal justness transportation was fundamentally an effort by the authorities portion to revive the party’s basal among SCs and EBCs.

“Rahul Gandhi has been raising the contented of inadequate and disproportionate practice of Dalits and EBCs successful authorities and backstage jobs. His determination to be the commencement day of Jaglal Choudhary is successful enactment with his thought to pat into the legacies of stalwarts from the SC, EBC and Muslim communities…. The Bihar Congress does not person immoderate salient Pasi look aft erstwhile authorities main Ashok Kumar Choudhary joined the JD(U) a fewer years ago,” a elder enactment person said.

Since the Congress mislaid Bihar successful 1990, the enactment has been connected a downhill travel successful the state. In the 2000 Assembly polls, the party’s ballot stock dipped to 11.06 per cent, Five years later, it further dipped to 6.1% votes and 9 seats.

In the 2010 polls Assembly, erstwhile Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s popularity was astatine its peak, the Congress managed 8.4% votes but could triumph lone 4 seats — its lowest tally successful Bihar till that point.

In the pursuing polls successful 2015, the Congress’s fortunes revived somewhat arsenic portion of confederation with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). The enactment got 6.8% votes, but won 27 seats. In the 2020 polls, the Congress got 9.6% votes and bagged 19 seats.

Apart from the 2010 polls, the Congress has been an state of the RJD since 2005.

Incidentally, the RJD’s halfway basal is besides the Dalits and EBCs. With the Congress asserting its societal justness pitch, it remains to beryllium seen if it eats into RJD votes oregon it volition carve a abstraction of its own.

A Congress person admitted arsenic much. “Rahul Gandhi’s societal justness slogan mightiness wounded the Mahagathbandhan confederation much than it could adhd caller votes. The Congress tin adhd caller votes lone if it is capable to get non-Yadav OBC and EBC and Dalit votes. So far, the Congress successful Bihar has its votes among sizable sections of precocious castes, Dalits and Muslims,” said a Congress person successful Delhi.

He added the Congress needs to delegate much powerfulness to its Bihar portion to grow its EBC and Dalit basal alongside the effort connected readying Gandhi’s visits.

Addressing a league of Dalit influencers and intellectuals connected January 30, Gandhi said a caller signifier of “Dalit and backward emancipation is opening to instrumentality shape”.

“I tin accidental the Congress did not bash what it should person done successful the past 10-15 years. If I bash not accidental this… Then I would beryllium lying to you. And I bash not similar to lie. That is the reality. Had the Congress enactment maintained the assurance of the Dalits, backwards, and the astir backward … The RSS would person ne'er travel to power,” the person said.

This connection is successful enactment with Gandhi’s larger outreach to Dalits and OBCs. Struggling to triumph elections — the enactment has seen 3 consecutive Lok Sabha losses and is present confined to powerfulness successful conscionable 3 states — Gandhi has been trying hard to physique a Muslim-Dalit-backward enactment basal for immoderate time. His stance against the authorities of hatred and polarisation done his mohabbat ki dukan (a store of love) pitch, the caste census call, and the request for the removal of the 50% ceiling connected reservations each necktie into the effort.

After the implementation of the Mandal Commission successful 1990, which granted 27% preservation for OBCs, determination was a question of assertion from the assemblage and the emergence of leaders specified arsenic Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar. They went connected to make their ain OBC ballot basal done their parties.

This meant that the Congress’s formidable OBC ballot slope began shrinking, particularly successful the Hindi belt. Since then, the enactment has not been capable to scope retired to OBCs.