Home minister Amit Shah on Monday accused the Congress of “disrespecting” its Dalit leader Kumari Selja in poll-bound Haryana, betraying desperation to latch on to an old factional fight in the Opposition to draw electoral mileage.

Haryana votes on October 5 and reports of widespread voter anger against the two-term incumbent BJP government in the state have spread concern in the top leadership of the party. This has led the BJP senior leadership to play on the factionalism in the principal challenger Congress and the Dalit factor, hoping to turn the tide.

“The Congress has always disrespected Dalit leaders, be it Dr Ashok Tanwar or sister Kumari Selja. Dr B.R. Ambedkar wasn't given the Bharat Ratna till Congress was in power,” Shah told an election rally in Haryana.

Sirsa MP Kumari Selja is a key Congress leader from Haryana and her differences with the party’s dominant leader in the state, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, are well-known. Tanwar defected from the Congress to the BJP in 2019.

In his rallies, Shah focused on hitting out at the Hooda family, accusing the Jat leader of engaging in “corruption” and sidelining Dalit leaders.

Shah taking the name of Selja in an election rally comes after another key leader, former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who is now the housing and urban affairs minister in the Narendra Modi government, openly extended an invitation to Selja to join the BJP. The twin instances bared the BJP’s desperation to exploit the factionalism in the Congress.

“Sister Kumari Selja has been insulted in the Congress. In the past leaders who faced insult in the Congress joined us and we are ready to welcome her too,” Khattar, who was replaced as Haryana chief minister just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, had said last Saturday. He expressed hope of Selja joining the BJP, stressing that everything is possible in politics.

Talks of differences between Selja and Hooda intensified after the Dalit leader was not seen campaigning actively for the Congress. Reports said that Selja was sulking as she was upset with the low representation of her supporters in the distribution of party tickets.

On Monday, Selja, however, came out to slam the BJP firmly, asking it to refrain from extending invitations. “Congress runs in my blood. Just as my father was wrapped in the party's flag, I too will depart in the same way,” Selja told a news channel.

At the same time, the 61-year-old leader acknowledged “internal issues”, stressing that they were being worked out and there was no question of discontent. “There are always internal discussions that aren't meant for public disclosure. The party is moving forward and these are routine matters in decision-making,” she said.

Deciding factor

Haryana is known to be a Jat-dominated state with the community comprising approximately 27 per cent of the population. The Dalit population of around 20 per cent, however, is said to play a key role and the BJP appears to have set its eye on ensuring that the majority of these voters don’t gravitate towards the Congress. There are 17 constituencies reserved for Scheduled Caste in the state.

The BJP managers feel that with the Mayawati-led BSP aligning with regional INLD, a sharp division in the Dalit votes was certain but still the leadership is worried given the momentum in favour of the Congress.