In Tanwar’s return, Congress gets poll booster, ammo to counter BJP’s anti-Dalit narrative

The BJP had especially sharpened the attack after AICC general secretary and Sirsa MP Kumari Selja, a tall Dalit leader, distanced herself from party’s campaign, reportedly over not being given due share in ticket distribution.

The Congress, however, says that it has posted more Dalits at key positions than the BJP. “We have had four Dalit state party chiefs in the last 20 years. “Be it Phool Chand Mullana, Tanwar, Selja, or now, Udai Bhan – all have been from Dalit community. On the contrary, BJP contested 2014 elections with Rambilas Sharma, a Brahmin, as its president. Then came Subhash Barala and and Om Prakash Dhankar — both from Jat community. Nayab Singh Saini then took over as BJP state party chief and was later appointed the CM and BJP named Mohan Lal Badoli, a Brahmin, as it’s state unit chief,” a senior Congress leader said.

Meanwhile, Tanwar, who was officially inducted into the Congress in New Delhi on Friday, urged all sections, especially Dalits and backward classes, to ensure a big mandate for the party in the Assembly polls to send a message to the entire country.

The 47-year-old had informally joined the party at Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Mahendragarh on Thursday, jumping ship just over an hour after campaigning for a BJP candidate in Safidon.

CM Saini termed Tanwar’s return to Congress as “his personal choice”. Speaking to reporters after paying obeisance at Mansa Devi temple, Saini said, “He [Tanwar] has had the taste [of politics] in several parties. He must have seen something for himself [in the Congress]. It is his personal choice”.

However, Tanwar, who had quit Congress in 2019, talking about his ‘ghar wapasi’, said, “A person only comes to know the importance of his home, when he leaves it”.

“I began my political career with the Congress. In the last few months I was with the BJP, the environment that I saw, I was hurt over a number of issues. The faith that should be there in Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Constitution is not there (in the BJP). The BJP’s policy is to project religion where caste does not work and vice-versa,” Tanwar said in New Delhi.

“To make Haryana No. 1 and to ensure people get their rights, I request all Dalits and backward classes… all sections…to give a big mandate to the Congress to send a message to the country,” he said.

Asked about allegations of opportunism and losing from Sirsa parliamentary constituency on a BJP ticket, Tanwar said, “I would not like to say anything negative, but the BJP itself knows that Ashok Tanwar did not lose there, the BJP lost there and the BJP’s policy lost there.”

After joining the BJP in January this year, Tanwar had unsuccessfully contested against Kumari Selja from Sirsa Lok Sabha constituency in May. The BJP had picked him over its sitting Sirsa MP Sunita Duggal.

AICC treasurer Ajay Maken, who formally inducted Tanwar, said his “joining the party would further strengthen the fight initiated by Rahul Gandhi to save the Constitution and take forward the ideals of Babasaheb Ambedkar”.

Later, Tanwar, accompanied by party MP Deepender Hooda, met AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge. “We are with 36 communities in Haryana. Our resolve is for everyone. We will always raise the voice of Dalits, tribals, backward classes, minorities and the poor,” Kharge said in a post on X.

A close associate of Tanwar, Anil Bhardwaj, said his return would benefit the Congress in at least 10-15 Assembly seats. “In many constituencies, Tanwar can swing at least 2,500-5,000 votes,” added Bhardwaj

BJP, however, does not look impressed. Rahul Gandhi, at a poll rally in Haryana, made Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Kumari Selja join hands on stage in an attempt to show that there was no factionalism in state party unit. Saini had then said that joining hands does not mean “their hearts have also met”. “Holes have been made in hearts by casteist remarks and insult for Dalits. Victimisation of Dalits has been a tradition of Congress party,” he had said.

Addressing a press conference in Karnal on Thursday, Hooda had hit back at the saffron party, alleging it has a dubious record of 78 persons being killed in the state “as it ran a government of lathis and bullets for 10 years”.

“During this anti-people government, a record 78 people were killed by police bullets. During the Dera episode (in 2017) in Panchkula (violence which broke out after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted for raping two disciples), 40 people died. It was told that perhaps 30 of the deceased were Dalits. The BJP had allowed a crowd of people to gather in Panchkula against the orders of the court. The High Court itself raised questions on the death of 40 people in police firing, but the BJP could not answer anyone,” he said.