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Journalism of Courage
The ideological gulf between the BJP and one of its closest allies came to the fore in the Lok Sabha today. While JDU leader Nitish Kumar made an unequivocal demand that Dalits who had converted to Christianity or Islam should also get the benefit of reservation, the BJP insisted that 8216;8216;religion-based reservations8217;8217; was totally unacceptable.
The issue came up during an impromptu discussion on the need to avoid a confrontation between the judiciary and the legislature in wake of Supreme Court Chief Justice R C Lahoti8217;s critical remarks on the issue of reservation in unaided private educational institutions.
His statement sparked off protests from several MPs such as Ilyas Azmi BSP and A Obaidullah MIM but their remarks were struck off the record.
What took the House by surprise was Nitish Kumar8217;s forceful advocacy for reservations for Dalit Muslims and Christians. Undeterred by protests from the BJP, Nitish insisted that the Indian reality was that 8216;8216;changing one8217;s religion does not change one8217;s caste.8217;8217; Despite conversion, Dalit Muslims and Christians faced acute discrimination and should be accorded the same benefits as other Dalits.
As BJP members protested and Congress-RJD MPs jeered, Nitish acknowledged that he had very fundamental differences with the BJP. 8216;8216;I subscribe to an ideology that is different from their ideology,8217;8217; he said. He also denied that his support for Dalit Muslims was prompted by the impending Bihar elections and sternly told his interlocutors, 8216;8216; You people do not know the background we come from.8217;8217;
Speaking to reporters later, Malhotra said 8216;8216;ideological differences8217;8217; between the BJP and allies was natural. If there had been no differences, they would have all belonged to the same party. 8216;8216;We are not forcing our views on them and they should not compel us to accept their views,8217;8217; he added.
Nitish told The Indian Express that his party had well-known ideological differences with the BJP but added that they would not come in the way of a 8216;8216;tactical alliance8217;8217; and a common poll platform in the Bihar elections.
Asked why he chose to raise the Dalit issue today even though the discussion was on a broader question, Nitish said, 8220;I feel very strongly that Dalit Muslims should get reservations and was looking for a chance to raise the issue. I was planning to raise it during Zero Hour for the last few days but today8217;s discussion gave me an opportunity.8217;8217;
Although he maintained that the issue would not affect ties with the BJP, JDU sources said it was bound to add further strain to the partnership in the future. For the moment, 8216;8216;anti-Lalooism8217;8217; will provide the glue but after the Bihar elections, the nascent strains in BJP-JDU ties are likely to accentuate, many JDU MPs admit.
