BJP to use Modi to woo OBCs in UP
The battle for OBC votes in Uttar Pradesh has begun in right earnest and the BJP will now present Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as its mascot for OBCs in UP.
A report prepared by the BJP social justice committee has recommended that the party should fight to protect the reservation benefits for OBCs and organise rallies and “padyatras” in support. The party will observe September 27 as “Social Justice Day”.
“Mr Narendra Modi belongs to the most backward caste group and his presence will help us make inroads into the OBC votebank that has been treated as the Samajwadi Party fiefdom till now. The non-Yadav OBCs are disillusioned with the Samajwadi Party that only caters to the interests of Yadavs and the aggressive Muslim appeasement policy being pursued by the Akhilesh Yadav government is also making a section of Yadavs unhappy,” said a senior BJP functionary.
The BJP is aware that the Samajwadi strength lies in its combined OBC-Muslim vote base and if the party can chip away at a section of the OBC votes that till now belonged to SP, it would be sufficient to upset the Samajwadi apple cart in the coming general elections.
“Mr Modi is already known for his administrative skills and his pro-Hindu posture but his caste has never been highlighted before. Since politics in Uttar Pradesh is driven by caste, we feel that highlighting Mr Modi’s most backward caste (MBC) background will help us expand our base,” the party leader explained.
The SP, on the other hand, has been working overtime to consolidate its position among non-Yadav OBCs. The induction and elevation of three OBC minister in the recent Cabinet expansion and the joining of former BSP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha’s family members are steps in this direction.
The state president of BJP’s OBC cell, Munshi Lal Gautam, said that social justice rallies will be held in OBC-dominated districts, beginning with Bulandshahr on September 25. “Initially, our OBC leaders, like Kalyan Singh, Vinay Katiyar and Om Prakash Singh, will address these rallies and the party workers will follow it up with ‘padyatras’. After this, Mr Modi will begin addressing rallies in UP,” Mr Gautam said.
This strategy clearly shows that the BJP will play and caste and communal card simultaneously in UP to spring back to the centre stage of politics and regain lost ground in the state.
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