It is obvious that many opposition parties have given up on the ‘inclusive’ approach to politics as assembly elections draw near, and are banking on invoking caste pride to provide the necessary votes. It is no problem if it pits one caste against the other, as long as the numbers add up. The popular word today is ‘Shudra’ in UP, where the Samajwadi Party has picked up on a controversy triggered by its National General Secretary Swami Prasad Maurya regarding a couplet from the ‘Ramcharitmanas’. Considering the fact that such politics is her USP, BSP Supremo Mayawati has taken offence at ‘Dalits’ being identified as ‘Shudras’. RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat has entered the fray, blaming ‘priests’ for creating the ‘Shudra’ category, basically throwing Brahmins under the bus in the bid to shed ‘clarity’ on the matter. (The RSS has attempted damage control but the superficiality of its ideology has been revealed.)
Everybody knows that the Samajwadi Party has failed to consolidate its hold in UP because of the inability to reconcile competing Yadav and SC interests. The SP-BSP alliance failed because the Yadav votes did not transfer to the ally. This betrayal lies behind Mayawati’s unwillingness to enter any future tie-up. So, the SP is hoping to make a direct bid for sections of the Dalit vote, particularly those with Buddhist inclinations.
The challenge before these parties is the ‘development’ as well as ‘law and order’ plank that the BJP has forged under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that seeks to attract votes from all sections. Despite the Ramcharitmanas controversy, the Hindutva appeal will only grow as the Ramjanmabhoomi Temple nears completion in Ayodhya. The excitement around the arrival of the ‘Shaligram’ rocks is an indication of that. This will continue into 2024.
Recognising this, the SP is making its desperate bid to drive a wedge in the Hindutva front. The eager Akhilesh Yadav has adopted a new avatar from OBC to Shudra – it remains to be seen how long the enthusiasm will last. It is against the law to describe anyone as such, but what is to be done when a person flaunts it as his or her identity? It is regressive politics but till such time the voting public rejects it with the necessary finality, it will continue to be tried. Till then, India will have to suffer the consequences on development and governance.
