To bond with Dalits, Congress falls on birha and ballads

The mandali of folk singers and political poets is a part of the Yatra, which has already traveled through nine districts holding 18 public meetings and about 64 nukkad meetings. The mandali is led by 67-year-old folk singer Sriram Yadav, who also happens to be vice-president in district Congress committee of Chandauli. He has six other members in his mandali, who are from different districts of Poorvanchal region. The songs prepared by the team narrate how it was Congress, which gave importance to Ambedkar, brought about the concept of special component plan and how its policies helped children of Dalits in becoming politicians and bureaucrats. The songs also takes potshots at BSP, BJP as well the ruling SP.

Most of these songs are in ‘birha’, a folk song medium of Bhojpuri-speaking belt of eastern UP and Bihar.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Yadav, who was preparing for night stay in Chakarwa village of Salempur area of Deoria district, said, “As a young folk artiste, I had worked during election campaigns of former chief minister Kamlapati Tripathi. I also worked in the recent election campaigns of leaders such as Raj Babbar”.

“The folk songs are an effective way of communicating with the people in their local dialect. Thus, we have chosen this medium. Moreover, all the folk singers are those who have been long associated with the party,” said Shashank Shukla, Yatra co-ordinator appointed by AICC.

Chairman of AICC SC department, K Raju, moved with the Yatra in Kushinagar district Thursday and had dinner with the villagers. While (chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes) PL Punia has been with the Yatra in Barabanki district, sources inform that Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Sinh has agreed to take part in Sultanpur. Party vice-president Rahul Gandhi is likely to participate in the Yatra in Amethi on August 8.

Meanwhile, Bhagwati Chaudhary, chairman of the Congress’s state SC department, has been asked to camp along with the Yatra and have dinner with his team in the respective Dalit bastis. The Yatra would reach Ballia district on August 30 and then move towards Mau and Gorakhpur districts.