Congress eyes Dalit escape velocity

UPA has lined up a slew of pro-Dalit measures to be tabled this Winter session

The Congress-led UPA, battling a two term anti-incumbency, has lined up a slew of measures including crucial bills slated to be tabled this Winter session in its bid to win back the Dalit and Scheduled Castes vote. Aware of the Bahujan Samaj Party and Mayawati’s hold over the Dalit vote bank, bills targeted at the SC community – namely a legislation for Scheduled Castes and Schedules Tribe Area Sub Plan; re-introducing the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation in Posts and Services) Bill, 2008 (that has since lasped); strengthening the Prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes act 1989 are on the anvil. Additionally, to bolster its attempt to woo the Dalit voters, the Congress party has set up specially trained three member teams at Panchayat level to reach out to the Dalit community. The revamped SC cell in the Congress is for the first time synergising its strategies with other departments- the Panchayati Raj cell and the minorities cell.  

It was Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi at whose behest the party has been galvansied to “get back” the loyal Dalit vote that has since ceded to Mayawati. Infact say senior party sources, “Rahul Gandhi is very clear that Dalits need to be empowered and he is gearing up for a long term strategy to engage with them.” Infact it was Rahul Gandhi’s open wooing of this vote bank when he recently decried Mayawati’s leadership saying that she did not let other Dalit leaders grow.    

Spearheading the party’s efforts is the newly appointed Chairman of the Congress cell on Scheduled Castes K Raju, the bureaucrat turned politician who was Additional Secretary of the National Advisory Council (NAC); his contribution was seminal to UPA’s key legislations the Land Acquisition bill and the Food bill. Raju who has an MPhil in economic management and policy as well as an MBA, quit the IAS a few months back to join Gandhi. Raju is an important member of Rahul Gandhi’s core group.  

Sources confirmed that the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry has already been circulating the bill to frame into a law the existing policy of Scheduled Castes and Schedules Tribe Area Sub Plan. This will ensure dedicated earmarking of allocations for SCT/ ST welfare and give it legal backing, marking a departure from the lax implementation of the existing policy.

Additionally, the earlier Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation in Posts and Services) Bill, 2008 that has since lapsed, will be reintroduced to ensure that SCs and STs get a prescribed percentage of posts in civil services.  

The government intends to also give more teeth to the Prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes act 1989, confirmed sources.

Explaining the activities of the party’s revamped cell, K Raju speaking to Business Standard  said, “My mandate is very celar; to put in place a strategy for the party to connect with SCs, to identify future leaders from this community and to carry out advocacy efforts of the party with the government.”

The SC cell under Raju has already been working in tandem with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes headed by PL Punia ( he was recently appointed for a second term); both have held several joint workshops already.

Alongside this, for the first time in order to synergise the workings of the other specialised departments - the Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan (headed by another close Rahul Gandhi aide Meenakshi Natarajan), the Minorities cell and the Mahila Congress; the revamped SC cell has been conducting joint strategy sessions. Already three joint meetings have been conducted till date.  

With Rahul Gandhi closely monitoring the efforts focused on Dalit engagement and empowerment, the Congress has put in place three member teams right at the Panchayat level to reach out to every Dalit household informing them of the UPA’s social welfare measures and key bill such as the Food and Land bill among other things.

Whether such a move will help Congress to harness for the Dalits “the escape velocity of Jupiter” ( to put in Rahul Gandhi’s words) will be evident with 2014 poll results.