BJP distributes copies of Constitution to Maha Kumbh sanitation staff as parties try to woo Dalits

MAHAKUMBH NAGAR: The BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit leaders distributed copies of the Constitution to the sanitation workers at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. They said the religious congregation at Prayagraj is a great celebration of unity, which the Constitution guarantees.

The BJP, which has launched "Samvidhan Gaurav Abhiyan" -- a nationwide campaign to celebrate 75 years of the Indian Constitution -- is felicitating Dalits across the state as part of this initiative.

After felicitating sanitation workers at the Maha Kumbh Mela by garlanding them and giving them copies of the Constitution on Thursday, Uttar Pradesh BJP secretary Abhijat Mishra said, "We came here to honour those who had been reduced to mere vote bank by non-BJP parties and governments. Now, with a strong, sensitive leader helming the nation, the change is evident."

Talking to PTI, he claimed that other parties see Dalits and OBCs as vote banks. "Our party reveres them."

"The Maha Kumbh is also a great celebration of unity, something that the Constitution guarantees. That is why we came with copies of the Constitution to reinforce the idea of unity that our Constitution makers had and which our political opponents want to negate," he added.

In the hustings during the Lok Sabha polls, the opposition had repeatedly targeted the BJP over its "400 paar" slogan, claiming that it wanted the massive mandate to change the Constitution, a charge rejected by the ruling party.

The BJP, however, failed to reach the target it had set for itself and had to form a government with the support of regional parties. On the other hand, the opposition INDIA bloc had a surprising success, significantly bolstering their presence in the Lok Sabha.

The BJP's move coincided with the Samajwadi Party deciding to put up a bust of its founder late Mulayam Singh Yadav, a prominent OBC leader, at the Maha Kumbh. The Congress has announced the 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan' rally on January 27 to corner the BJP.

BSP chief Mayawati, who faced a series of electoral reverses, too is engaging in posturing on the issue of alleged denigration of Constitution framer and Dalit icon BR Ambedkar by the BJP.

In 2019, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ran schools for the sanitation workers at the Kumbh Mela while Prime Minister Narendra Modi washed the feet of Dalit sanitation workers during his visit to the Kumbh Mela that year.

Days before this year's Maha Kumbh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Prayagraj and described the congregation as "'Ekta ka Mahakumbh (a Maha Kumbh of unity)'".

Besides, Adityanath has described the congregation as "Samajik Samta Ka Mahaparv (a mega festival of social equality)".

The state government's publicity blitz for the event included a giant-sized statue of Lord Ram and Nishad Raj (king of the riverine community) in an embrace at Shringverpur’s Nishad Raj Park recently unveiled by the prime minister.

Nishads are a politically influential OBC riverine community pushing for inclusion among SCs and all the parties are keen to woo them.

Commenting on the political posturing at the Maha Kumbh a senior RSS leader said, "You can draw your own political narratives but we stand for unity and Maha Kumbh is a classic example of caste harmony as differences of all kinds are bridged here. That is the unity the prime minister must have been referring to."

Political observer Sudhir Panwar, who once contested polls as SP candidate, said, "The opposition parties and many of the BJP’s OBC allies are united on the issue of caste census. The BJP faces a big dilemma on this issue."

"Though it has won by-polls, it is yet to recover from the shock loss of Faizabad Lok Sabha seat and is now looking to mobilise public opinion through community outreach measures like the one at Maha Kumbh."