UP Assembly Elections: BJP gives a Dalit twist to cash ban

The BJP plans to give BSP chief Mayawati a run for her money in winning Dalit votes in next year's Uttar Pradesh polls as the ruling party at the Centre has linked the demonetisation move to Dr BR Ambedkar.

The party is rallying people from the bottom rung of the social hierarchy behind the cash clampdown as well as enlisting their support for the elections through a unique message: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan is a realisation of none other than Dr Ambedkar's dream who had proposed before anyone else that currency should be revised every 10 years.

"It is a matter of shame that Babsaheb (Ambedkar) has so far been projected as only a sectional leader, that of Dalits," said Dushyant Kumar Gautam, head of the BJP's Scheduled Castes Morcha. "Contrary to this, he was a national visionary and that vision reflected in his writings. As an accomplished economist, he had proposed way back in 1923 that the Indian currency be changed and replaced every 10 years to tackle hoarding, black money and even inflation in his book 'Problem of the Indian Rupee'."

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MAYAWATI'S DALIT FOLLOWING

Mayawati has a near-devotional following among Dalits and her party will be a key challenger to the BJP that swept UP in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. A repeat of that success would help Modi gain greater control in Rajya Sabha, making it easier to push through key reforms.

Gautam claimed the Opposition is so baffled by demonetisation that it is hurting the sentiments of Dalits by opposing Ambedkar's views. "We are going among the Dalits in UP during our Parivartan Yatras to tell them about this fact and educate them that this move benefits the most to them," he added.

During his research at London School of Economics (LSE), which later took the form of the book 'Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Solution' (History of Indian Currency and Banking), Ambedkar had proposed the solution to hoarding and black money.

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BJP USES AMBEDKAR CARD

The BJP is also highlighting that the Modi government has been proactive since it came to power to give Ambedkar the pride of place while the Congress regimes since Independence had relegated him to the background of their own leaders.

"One can see the step-motherly behaviour of the Congress towards Babasaheb," said Gautam. "It was the NDA that awarded Bharat Ratna to Babasaheb, not a Congress government. You must have come across museums in the name of Gandhis and Nehrus, but not one in the name of Babasaheb. We conserved the first museum dedicated to Babasaheb's belongings and artefacts at Chicholi, 15km from Nagpur. PM Modi released two commemorative coins as part of the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Ambedkar."

"The BJP might claim that they are acting in line with the vision of Babasaheb as he would have written in his book, but they forgot the next line in the book. He also said that the methodology of the shift must be flawlessly perfect so that people are not put to difficulty," said a senior BSP leader on condition of anonymity.

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THE LEAFLET

On its part, the BJP has prepared a pamphlet that it is distributing in areas dominated by Dalits. The twopage pamphlet sports a picture of Ambedkar along with Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. "This government is dedicated to the poor, peasants, tribals and Dalits, exploited and deprived. This government is for their aspirations and it is our duty," the pamphlet quotes Modi saying.

The leaflet also depicts various pro-Dalit measures undertaken by the Centre. Modi had declared that five places related to Ambedkar would be revamped and had also given them the exalted stature of tirth, or pilgrimages. The five centres are Alipore Road House in Delhi where Ambedkar lived, his Mau house in MP, the village in Ratnagiri where Ambedkar's parents lived, Indu Mills and the bungalow in London, where he stayed as a student.

Modi declared November 26 as 'Constitution Day' when Babasaheb's role as the framer of the Constitution is to be recognised. He is the first PM to visit 'Chaitya Bhoomi' last year.