Union minister Sachin Pilot’s arrest over Bhatta-Parsaul farmers’ issue on Sunday has virtually given the “action plan” for about half-a-dozen Congress ministers from Uttar Pradesh at the Centre.
Mr Pilot, the minister of state for communications and information technology, was arrested by the police when he visited protesters lodged in Dasna Jail. He wanted to meet the families of those injured in the agitation over land acquisition. The young minister charged the Mayawati government of behaving like a real estate agent. The Congress is identifying itself with the issues of farmers and aam admi in UP which have become the victim of caste politics for over 20 years.
The political atmosphere in the state could change if top leaders of the Congress party at the Centre tour UP, join agitation of the people on the real issues and, thus, rebuild the organisation, viewed the party insiders.
Mr Shriprakash Jaiswal, Mr Salman Khursheed, Mr Beni Prasad Verma, Mr Jitin Prasada, Mr R.P.N. Singh and Mr Pradeep Jain are the Union ministers who have won the Lok Sabha seats from the state against the BSP, the Samajwadi Party and the BJP. The Congress is fighting the battle not only for power but to change the agenda of UP.
Though the BSP supremo and UP chief minister Mayawati is the main target of the Congress in the upcoming state Assembly elections, the Sonia Gandhi-led Congress party has never been comfortable with the SP. It had supported the Mulayam Singh Yadav government in 2003 but did not join mainly because the Congress did not want to play the caste card.
On the other hand, Ms Mayawati became the chief minister with the help of the BJP at least thrice since 1995 and had even campaigned for the saffron party in Gujarat Assembly polls held against the backdrop Godhra communal violence.
The coming UP Assembly polls will be a “do or die” battle for the Congress not because it could have a bearing on next general election, but it could change the politics in the Hindi heartland.