Niranjan Jyoti: Getting more castes on board

The 47-year-old 'Katha Vachak' is part of BJP's project to widen its appeal across castes

Niranjan Jyoti s a 47-year-old katha vachak, someone who delivers sermons through storytelling. She is part of BJP’s project to widen its appeal among castes. Belonging to the Kevat or boatmen caste, Jyoti’s short parliament bio-data lists her as a “social worker”.

Jyoti has served in various positions in the state BJP and also in the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, an affiliate of the RSS. She won her first election in 2012 to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. Her candidacy for the Lok Sabha this year was seen as having helped the BJP make inroads among the Dalit and backward classes in the state. She was active in not just the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation but also has been addressing meetings in Mathura, where the BJP believes a temple must be rebuilt in place of a mosque. The BJP’s top leaders are making no comment about her remarks except Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who is among those who they were unacceptable and that she must apologise.

Jyoti alleged that a former MP was out to kill her after a protocol van with armed policemen failed to meet her when she travelled from Fatehpur to Delhi recently. In the November cabinet expansion she was sworn in as Minister of State for Food Processing Industries. She was the only woman among the 21 members inducted into the council of ministers in the expansion.

Her education qualification is listed as “intermediate” on her Parliament profile.