Aligarh, July 8: Mayavati has asked BSP leaders to ensure that their Dalit supporters do not attend Rahul Gandhi’s rally tomorrow in Aligarh, the directive coming at a time her core vote base has shown cracks, sources said.
Rahul will hold a kisan mahapanchayat in Aligarh tomorrow, the culmination of a padayatra that began in Greater Noida on July 5. The Amethi MP has toured areas in western Uttar Pradesh that recently witnessed farmers’ unrest over land acquisition.
The instruction to Aligarh’s BSP leaders from Lucknow is terse and clear: ensure that Jatavs (Dalits are called Jatavs in the state) don’t get influenced by Rahul’s “drama”.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayavati’s party soldiers, from the booth level to the district level, held a meeting in Aligarh today, then fanned out to stop Jatav participation in Rahul’s show tomorrow.
Although the MP has sought to keep Congress leaders away from the march, district-level organisers are going all out to make it a success in terms of crowd strength. Congress leaders from across the state have gathered here to lend support.
Hotels and guesthouses of Aligarh Muslim University have been booked in advance by the Congress. All over Aligarh town are welcome arches and posters, some depicting Rahul as embarking on a campaign akin to Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March.
The BSP’s fear lies in cracks that the party has detected in its Jatav base. Mayavati’s Dalit-Brahmin combination may not hold for the Assembly elections next year, sources said.
Asked why the BSP was bothered about its core base, the leader said: “There are several caste divisions among the Jatavs. Recently, we have noticed unrest among some castes and we want to cement the cracks.”
Another BSP leader in Aligarh said: “We are not bothered about the landed castes. We want to ensure that Jatavs don’t get attracted by the glamour of the Gandhi boy.”
“Rahul’s march is aimed at deflecting attention from corruption at the Centre and price rise. People are not fools not to understand the real motive of the Congress,” BSP Aligarh president Suresh Chandra Gautam said.
