BJP, SP and RLD in race for Jat votes in west Uttar Pradesh

Charan Singh’s photographs were used in rally hoardings to attract farmers. Meanwhile, to counter SP and BJP, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has announced a four-day celebration to mark Charan Singh’s birth anniversary from December 22 to 25. The RLD will clean Charan Singh’s statues across the state, perform havan, donate blood, fruits and cloths and hold chaupals in villages. According to a RLD leader of western UP, BJP and SP are trying to cash in on the loss that RLD suffered in the Lok Sabha polls — the party could not keep its traditional Jat votes intact and failed to win a single seat. Both BJP and SP are contesting to strengthen their base in western UP ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections. Post polls, Muzaffarnagar MP Sanjeev Balyan, a Jat leader, was made MoS for Agriculture in the Modi government. Balyan, who was the chief guest at the Amroha rally, said that Charan Singh’s efforts led to financial empowerment of farmers. He added that Charan Singh and Vajpayee both worked for the welfare of farmers.

Party district president Girish Tyagi said that around 1,500 farmers took BJP membership in the rally. BJP has recently appointed Anila Singh, who belongs to Muzaffarnagar and worked in Amroha, as party state spokesperson. Former Mumbai police commissioner Satya Pal Singh, a Jat — who was elected MP from Baghpat defeating RLD chief Ajit Singh — was also recently appointed BJP state vice-president. The party has recently appointed another Jat leader, Devendra Singh, as member of the state executive committee. He has been given the responsibility to supervise the membership campaign in western UP.

A BJP leader said, “Thakurs and Jats have political influence in western UP. While Thakurs are found across the state, majority of Jats are consolidated to western UP and hence, BJP is focusing on them.” Party spokesperson Chandra Mohan said that BJP was celebrating Charan Singh’s birth anniversary because his pro-farmer policies were similar to its welfare policies.

“BJP too works to ensure benefit for every section, particularly farmers,” he added. RLD state president Munna Singh Chauhan said that both BJP and SP were doing “drama” by showing “fake respect” for Charan Singh. “The Modi government has stopped celebrations at Kisan Ghat in New Delhi, orgnaised every year on December 23. While the SP government has scrapped an irrigation scheme named after Charan Singh, it has renamed another scheme of tubewell installation that was named after him,” he added.