Seeking to further connect with the Dalit community ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress has decided to extend its ongoing Dalit outreach programme in Uttar Pradesh till December end.
The 'Dalit Gaurav Samvad' which started on October 9 --- the death anniversary of BSP founder Kanshiram --- was earlier scheduled to end on Sunday to coincide with Constitution Day.
"In view of the positive response received during the Samvad, we have decided to extend it further, so that we could reach out to every Dalit household in the state. This Samvad will continue till December end," Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai told PTI.
Addressing a Samvad in Sarojininagar assembly constituency here on Saturday, Rai had charged that, "Dalits are being targeted and killed under the BJP government in the state. The BJP government is saving criminals. The (BJP) government stood with criminals in the atrocities committed on Dalits in various districts, including Hathras, Umbha (Sonbhadra), Lakhimpur Kheri, Azamgarh, Prayagraj, Kaushambi and Bahraich." Rai claimed there is no district in Uttar Pradesh where Dalits are feeling safe under the BJP government.
"An attempt is being made to create an atmosphere of fear, we are fighting against it. This dialogue is a fight for the honour, self-respect and rights of Dalits, and we will continue this further. We will not allow the anti-Dalit mentality of BJP and RSS to succeed in Uttar Pradesh," Rai said.
Elaborating further on the Samvad, organisation secretary of UP Congress Anil Yadav, told PTI, "Under the Samvad, the party plans to reach out to one lakh influential Dalit persons, be it teachers, lawyers, village pradhans or others. And they had to fill up a 'Dalit adhikaar maang patra'. So far, more than 86,000 people have filled up that form. The Samvad has evoked a positive response from the people, and we are now extending it." "Initially, we had thought of holding Dalit 'chaupals' (meetings) in 10 villages under each of the 403 assembly constituencies in the state. Seeing their response, we have now decided to increase the number of villages to 20. Now, chaupals are being held, and more than 8,000 villages in the state will be covered through this," Yadav said, and added this is also one of the reasons of extending the Samvad.
Yadav also said that the party has also set a target to form a core group of 50 people from the Dalit community in each of the Lok Sabha seats in the state, and this will help the party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Dalits constitute 21 per cent of the state's population, he said.
Senior Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh and former Lok Sabha MP from Barabanki (SC), PL Punia, told PTI, "People (Dalits), now do not have any attachment with (BSP chief) Mayawati, and they are now searching for an alternative." "The Congress had undertaken a number of measures for Dalits. This includes abolition of zamindari, land ceiling legislation, and distribution of land of gram sabha and nazul land to Dalits (which was started during the Emergency under the 20-point programme). I was posted as the Collector of Jalaun district (in UP), and I had done it. What has the BJP done? Or what has been done by Mayawati? Did they start any new schemes for the welfare of the Dalits," Punia said.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi, who is also associated with the Samvad, said, "Dalit Gaurav Samvad has received immense public support from the Dalit community across the state. The reason for this is that under the BJP government, Dalits were subjected to severe atrocities and every time the government was seen protecting the criminals while protecting them." He added that 8,000 villages, which have been identified for holding Dalit chaupals, are those where the population of the Dalits is above 35 per cent. District unit president of Congress from Amethi, Pradeep Singhal said the Samvad has evoked positive response from the people.
Lone BSP MLA in UP Legislative Assembly Uma Shankar Singh told PTI, "The Dalit community knows and has seen the Congress ruling the country for a long time. They are also seeing the atrocities committed on Dalit in Congress-ruled states. This is an allurement ('pralobhan') ahead of the Lok Sabha polls." "The Dalits are not going to leave 'behenji' (Mayawati). The respect which the Dalits have got in the country is due to 'behenji', and not because of the Congress," Singh asserted.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress could only win the Rae Bareli seat in Uttar Pradesh, which was won by Sonia Gandhi, while the BSP (in alliance with the SP and RLD) had won 10 seats.
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