'SC's Dalit quota sub-categorisation verdict may help BJP boost outreach'

The BJP may not have taken a categorical stand at the national level on the Supreme Court's landmark decision allowing states to create sub-categorisation within the SCs and STs, but several of its leaders are of the view that the verdict can help the party boost its outreach to the more disadvantaged sections of Dalits.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has assiduously cultivated the numerically-weaker Scheduled Castes (SCs) in many states, such as Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, over the years, and the apex court's verdict may allow the party to promise these communities with their most coveted wish -- their fair share in government jobs and schemes, they said.

 

The erosion of Dalit votes that hit the BJP in the recent Lok Sabha polls has sent its brain trust to the drawing board, as the party looks to reinvigorate its outreach to the community after the opposition's allegation that the Narendra Modi government wanted to change the Constitution found some traction in the election.

However, a section of the party is of the view that it should tread cautiously on an issue rife with political uncertainty and assess the overall mood within the Scheduled Castes and Tribes before outlining its position.

"Most parties, be it the BJP or the Congress or many regional parties, have refrained from taking a categorical stand. It is because the reaction from within these communities is itself divided. There are divided views within even a party, depending on who you speak to," a party leader said.

What has made things tricky for the BJP is the stand of its ally, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), against the verdict, apparently driven by the fact that its support base of Paswans in Bihar is unhappy with the idea of dividing the Dalit quota along caste lines.

LJP president and Union minister Chirag Paswan has been a staunch BJP ally.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the principal opposition party in Bihar, has also come out against any move to fix a sub-quota for different SC communities.

However, several BJP leaders, especially in different states where the party has long sympathised with the more disadvantaged among the Dalit castes, have welcomed the Supreme Court judgment.

Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai noted in a post on X that the Centre, in its affidavit to the court, had favoured the sub-categorisation.

He said the verdict will ensure that the Madiga community receives its due, a reference to the more disadvantaged Dalits who live mostly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana but are also present in other southern states.

BJP MP Brij Lal, who comes from the Dalit community, had also welcomed the verdict, saying it addresses the disparity within the SCs.

Economically and numerically stronger Dalit groups, like Malas in Telangana or Jatavs in Uttar Pradesh, are not considered to be pro-BJP.

The Centre formed a high-level committee in January to examine the administrative steps that can be taken to safeguard the interests of SC groups like the Madigas.

The panel has been tasked with recommending ways to ensure a fair allocation of benefits for the most disadvantaged communities within the SCs, which have been cornered by comparatively affluent and influential groups.