Will Shivraj Singh Chouhan's call to dilute SC/ST Act in MP damage the BJP's pitch for SC votes
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on September 20 announced he will ensure the SC/ST Atrocities Act is not misused in the state. The announcement came amid protests from upper caste groups that are angry with Parliament's decision to restore the Act, after some stringent provisions were earlier diluted by the Supreme Court to prevent its misuse.
एमपी में नहीं होगा SC-ST ऐक्ट का दुरुपयोग, बिना जाँच के नहीं होगी गिरफ़्तारी।
— ShivrajSingh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) September 20, 2018
Madhya Pradesh, which goes to polls by the end of the year, has been facing massive protests by upper caste groups over the restoration of the Act, for what they view as 'appeasement' of SC/STs.
Both the BJP and the Congress have borne the brunt of the protests — black flags were shown in front of the parties' offices, and some protestors even tried to barge into the bungalow of PWD minister Rampal Singh, but were stopped by the police.
Even the Chief Minister's campaign bus had earlier come under attack, when it was pelted with stones.
Chouhan's statement came a day prior to a planned protest in Ujjain.
Even earlier, a massive protest was organised by upper caste groups on September 6, which got good support from the community.
Government employees in MP are already upset with the Shivraj government over announcing reservation in promotion for SCs and STs.
Although the High Court had struck down the policy of reservation in promotion, the Madhya Pradesh government moved the Supreme Court challenging the HC's order. The matter is currently pending in the SC.
Shivraj's statement, in support of the upper castes' demand in the state, comes amid the BJP-led Centre's push to woo SC/ST votes.
The party, facing anti-incumbancy, farmers' protests and price rise, is in no mood to lose out on a significant vote bank.
The Modi-led BJP realises the importance of the Schedule Caste vote and the role it played in getting the party a majority in the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, especially in states like Uttar Pradesh, where it got a mammoth tally of 71 out of the total 80 seats.
The BSP, which considers the community its vote bank, was wiped out in the state and scored zero.
The community, since, is not too pleased with the BJP.
Incidents like Una, the Bheema Koregaon violence and the subsequent action by the administration, which the community feels has been only against SC/ST activists, while Sambhaji Bhide, head of Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan, alleged to be close to PM Narendra Modi, and Milind Ekbote, a former BJP corporator from Pune, who later floated the Hindu Ekta Manch, have not been properly investigated.
In 2014, when Narendra Modi launched his campaign to become Prime Minister, he visited Bhide at his house in Sangli and touched his feet.
After escaping arrest for two months, Ekbote was finally arrested on March 14, 2018, after the Supreme Court rejected an anticipatory bail application filed by him — but he was subsequently released on bail.
The administration is yet to arrest Bhide.
The coming together of arch rivals SP and BSP in Uttar Pradesh also sent alarm bells ringing in the ruling party's camp, which fears losing the Scheduled Caste votes to the coalition.
Facing protests from the SC/ST community over dilution of the Act, the BJP was quick to realise the gravity of the situation and moved a bill in Parliament to restore its provisions.
Chouhan, on the other hand, faces a different set of challenges in MP.
Going to polls for a fourth term as Chief Minister, Chouhan knows he can't ignore the upper caste votes as they form a major chunk of the party's vote bank and have been traditionally voting for the party.
The BJP is also facing a challenge in the form of the Congress' soft Hindutva push.
From Congress President Rahul Gandhi's Kailash Mansarovar yatra, to using terms like 'janeu dhari' to reinforce his Bhahmin credentials, to projecting him as a Shiv Bhakt, the Congress is leaving nothing to chance to get back upper caste votes from the BJP.
Pushed on the back-foot by Jyotiraditya Scindia-led Congress in the state, and facing alleged corruption charges like the dumper scam, e-tendering scam and the infamous Vyapam scam, Chouhan wants to leave nothing to chance.
According to the 2011 Census, SCs account for 15.51% and STs constitute 18.46% of the state’s total population, forming a sustantial voting block.
Shivraj would, in all likelihood, be banking on Modi's appeal to get the SC/ST votes, while trying to keep his OBC and upper caste vote bank in good humour.
The MP Assembly Elections results, right before the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, would also signal the direction the voters will go towards in 2019.
Of the 29 Lok Sabha seats from the state, the BJP had won 27 in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, leaving Congress with just 2, further cementing Chouhan's image within the party.
With both the Assembly as well as the Lok Sabha polls at stake, Shivraj has more than the CM's chair at stake.