For the family members of 29-year-old Harshadhipati Valmiki, the news of Congress MLA Girraj Singh Malinga joining the BJP on Sunday came as a shock and a disappointment. On March 28 last year, Harshadhipati, an engineer with the power department who was posted in Dholpur, was allegedly assaulted by Malinga, who represents Bari in the district. A chargesheet has yet to be filed in the case and Malinga is presently out on bail. The case of assault on Harshadhipati was one of the reasons why the Congress was taking time to announce Malinga as its candidate from Bari. Till Sunday evening, Congress had not announced its candidate from Bari. Malinga, a three-time MLA who has been undefeated from the seat since 2008, was inducted into the BJP on Sunday in the presence of Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. “Girraj Singh Malinga ji, who is a three-time MLA holding immense influence in eastern Rajasthan, is joining the BJP today, despite a guarantee of a ticket from the Congress. Malinga ji is an influential leader connected to the ground. With his influence over all 36 kaum (communities), not only does he have a hold in Dholpur, but also across eastern Rajasthan. With him joining the family, the strength of the BJP in that entire area will surely increase by several times,” Shekhawat said at a press conference in Jaipur while inducting Malinga into the party fold. Relatives of Harshadhipati, who has been in Jaipur’s SMS Hospital since last year, expressed shock at the news. “Several BJP leaders, including Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rajendra Rathore, visited the hospital to meet my son and condemned the assault on him by MLA Malinga. We are shocked and disappointed to see the BJP induct him today. The BJP, which talks of bringing people on the margins of society to the forefront, is now inducting people who assault Dalits,” said the engineer’s father Mukesh Valmiki. Harshadhipati suffered multiple fractures, including a broken femur, in the assault. He told The Indian Express earlier this year that he had said that Malinga had thrown a chair at him, hurled casteist slurs, and stood on his face during the assault. The FIR, in which Malinga is an accused, was registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. After the incident, while the Rajasthan Police arrested the other accused, the MLA was not arrested. He surrendered on May 11, 2022, after meeting Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and proclaiming his innocence before the media. A day later, Malinga, who had been ordered to be sent to judicial custody by a local court in Dholpur, tested positive for Covid-19 and was admitted to a hospital. Within a week of his arrest, he was also granted bail by the Rajasthan High Court. While out on bail, Malinga has shared the stage with Gehlot, met former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot on his birthday, and walked beside Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. In the last few months, Dalit organisations across Rajasthan have carried out a sustained campaign against Malinga, urging the Congress not to give him a ticket. The party appeared to have heeded the call by holding off on fielding Malinga from Bari. Sources said the case and the campaign by Dalit outfits against the MLA was the reason behind the indecision. Back in 2022, the BJP had slammed the Congress and Malinga over the case. In April last year, Rajendra Rathore, after visiting Harshadhipati at the hospital, tweeted: “Today, after reaching SMS Hospital, inquired about the well-being of Assistant Engineer (AEN) Harshadipati Valmiki, who was the victim of vandalism and hooliganism of the Congress MLA from Bari, and took information about his health from the doctors. These pictures automatically describe the jungle raj of Congress rule.” After joining the BJP on Sunday, Malinga said he left the Congress because he was being “harassed” by the party. "I was in the Congress for some time. I was harassed way too much without any reason,” he told reporters on Sunday, adding that he received no support from his party or government even though the allegation against him is “fake”. “The BJP campaigned against MLA Giriraj Singh Malinga for a long time, the leader accused of instigating an attack on a government employee. By inducting him into its ranks, the BJP has proved it can include a tainted person to fulfil its selfish needs, no matter how serious the allegations … The BJP, which is scared of the seemingly certain defeat in the Assembly elections, is looking for a way to gain power by including tainted leaders and promoting criminal elements in politics,” said state Congress spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi.
