In a novel strategy to expand its base, the Bahujan Samaj Party will now focus on dalit youth.
The BSP will reach out to the dalit youth through its leaders and impress on them the fact that it is the BSP alone that can safeguard their future.
The BSP, incidentally, is the only party that does not have charismatic youth leadership to counter the influence of other young leaders like Mr Rahul Gandhi in Congress and Mr Akhilesh Yadav in Samajwadi Party.
“To make up for this, we are developing a new programme to impact the youths belonging to dalit communities. We will tell the dalit youths that it is the BSP alone that is fighting for reservation in promotion which will give them a brighter future. We will tell them how the BSP gave them new job opportunities by setting up special protection force for memorials which is now being disbanded by the Samajwadi government. The BSP government had also ensured that a percentage of government contracts are earmarked for dalit entrepreneurs in UP,” said a dalit party functionary.
The BSP is drawing up a list of schemes that had been implemented by the Mayawati government to benefit the dalit youth. The party wants to impress upon the young generation in dalits that their welfare is secure only in the BSP regime.
“This is obvious because the Congress has ensured that the reservation in promotion bill gets stalled in Parliament and the Samajwadi Party government in UP is vehemently opposed to this. The BJP has always been a pro-upper caste party,” the party leader explained.
The BSP, apparently, feels that the young generations in dalits are comparatively educated and politically aware and cannot be taken for granted. Therefore, this is the first time that the party plans to specifically address issues concerning them.
“For dalits belonging to older generation, the Bahujan Samaj movement was an emotional issue because they as it as a means of improving their self-esteem and self-respect. The young generation, however, is looking beyond self-respect and self-esteem and because they are education and empowered, they have specific questions and want specific answers,” the functionary said.
Apparently, some dalit youths working in Asian country recently met some top BSP leaders in Delhi and it was during this interaction that the party leaders realised the need to address dalit youth as a separate entity. The BSP is not upset over the lack of youth leadership in the party and feels that such concepts are media creations.
“Rahul Gandhi is hailed as a youth leader and yet the Congress is on the downslide. Akhilesh Yadav was projected as a youth icon and look what has happened to his government in 16 months. More than a youth leader, a party needs to have policies for the youth,” the leader added.