Sensing urban, upper caste anger, BJP first to wave the red flag: UPA ‘socially divisive’

This is expected to be formally adopted as a resolution at the national executive.

At the meeting, also attended by Jaswant Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi and Sanjay Joshi, it was decided that the resolution will include a clause demanding reservations for the “upper-caste poor,” a reiteration of the party’s traditional stand. The task of finetuning this has gone to general secretary Arun Jaitley.

Sources said the leadership decided to reach out to the upper castes after feedback that unlike Mandal One, when OBCs were as charged as the upper castes, there is “little visible aggression” among OBCs this time around.

The party calculation is that it needs to strike a balance between not antagonising OBCs and at the same time reaching out to what it thinks is its core constituency: the urban, upper-castes whose support has been eroded of late.

Party leaders admitted that the task is tough. Many of its own OBC leaders, like Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi—and allies like JD(U)’s Sharad Yadav and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar—are pushing a hard pro-OBC line. Others like Bareilly MP Santosh Gangwar, who have to count on upper-caste votes heavily to win the election, are learnt to favour a “measured” response.

In fact, Gangwar stepped aside to let Vijay Kumar Malhotra open the discussion on an adjournment motion on striking medicos in the Lok Sabha too. Those elected from urban constituencies like Malhotra are expected to speak up for the striking students at the national executive.

Party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who was the first to write a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against the announcement of reservations by HRD Minister Arjun Singh, has already positioned himself against the quota.

Two BJP leaders Amritsar MP Navjot Singh Sidhu and the party’s Doctors’ Cell convenor Anil Jain participated in the anti-quota rally at the Ramlila Ground here today. Sources said the leadership tried to dissuade Sidhu from attending the meeting but he said it was a “call of his conscience.”

Jain told The Sunday Express that he joined the rally in his capacity as a doctor at Apollo Hospital. He said, ‘‘The Government must come out with a detailed analysis of the beneficiaries of quotas first.’’

Earlier in the day, Jain sought a clear line from the leadership at a combined meeting of the 27 cells of the party. He said he was told by the party president that it would be in place soon.

pradeep.kaushal@expressindia.com