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Former Congress member and BJP leader CR Kesavan was among many who called the act “anti-Dalit”
Screengrab of Kharge’s video that has gone viral.
The door is almost closed, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge from outside seems eager to get in, inside is full of Gandhis – this is the perfect recipe for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to deliver a Dalit googly. The picture is a reminder of the former Congress President and Dalit Sitaram Kesri who did it to pave the way for Gandhi. While Priyanka Gandhi may not carry the burden in Wayanad, the party may have to face all the polls in various states and especially two key assembly polls – Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
BJP for image exploitation
In politics, imagery is a powerful way to get a point across. Whatever the reason, Kharge, despite being a party leader, was pushed out, though the 82-year-old Dalit leader seemed eager to get on board. Former Congress member and BJP leader CR Kesavan was among many who called the act “anti-Dalit”.
Kharge junior, Priyank, stepped in to limit the damage, taking serious exception to his father’s perceived leadership of Dalits and not the entire community. But this did not work as Kharge started to like his social base.
Last year in Parliament, he asked whether he should make Dalit background whenever he was not allowed to speak in the Rajya Sabha.
It is saddening to witness the disrespect shown to veteran MPs and Dalit leaders like Shri. @kharge Ji by the so-called Holy Trinity in Wayanad today. Whether it is the President of AICC or PCC, whether the Family is proud to despise the person it considers… pic.twitter.com/FCnKOloaxz
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 23, 2024
When activist Anna Hazare, clad in a white kurta and weak from hunger, waved a huge national flag, the photo captured the emotions of the entire nation. It was used against the ruling party Congress by many political outfits in social media campaigns.
In the absence of social media and media repression during the Emergency, the photograph of George Fernandes being arrested became iconic, showing the oppression of the opposition. In the first post-Emergency elections of 1977, the Congress was defeated and the Janata Alliance, which used Fernandes’ photographs extensively in its campaign, formed the government.
The visual of Wayanad is one of the political images that the Congress has given to the BJP. While the Congress then displayed a photograph of Kharge inside the chamber and called the statements of BJP leaders such as Himanta Biswa Sarma, Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Amit Malviya as “lies”, the BJP has set its political narrative as the opposition has done by customizing it. of “400 paar” during Lok Sabha elections which cost BJP dear.
Where are you? @kharge Sir? when Priyanka Vadra ji’s first family filed her nomination as a Cong candidate # WayanadKept outside – because they are not family.🤮🤬
Self respect and dignity sacrificed on the altar of arrogance & rights of Sonia’s family 😡
Just imagine… pic.twitter.com/74Tm0fBbI5
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@RajeevRC_X) October 23, 2024
HOW WILL DALIT VOICE BE AFFECTED?
There are nine assembly polls scheduled in high-voltage Uttar Pradesh. The Congress has decided to ignore it this time after the Samajwadi Party (SP) announced that the INDIA bloc would be united under the ‘cycle’ symbol. The SP, which is doing better in the Lok Sabha based on the new PDA social engineering formula, where ‘D’ stands for Dalit, will have to answer to its constituents if the BJP is sending the right message.
There will be polls to 48 Assembly seats and two parliamentary constituencies in 15 states in two phases next month, in many of which the BJP will use this message against the Congress or its allies, making INDIAN constituencies also uncomfortable.
The cohesive attack of the BJP leaders shows the plans for the coming two months. This could be felt in four bypolls in caste-sensitive Bihar, three seats in Karnataka – Kharge’s home state – and seven bypolls in Rajasthan. Many of these seats are reserved.
In the 288 assembly seats of Maharashtra, where the Congress alliance hopes to come to power, it must not be forgotten that if these BJP visuals and logic seep into the minds of voters, they will have a tough time.
Maharashtra has 29 assemblies and five Lok Sabha constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs), who constitute 11.81% of the state’s population, according to the 2011 Census. There are at least five lakh SCs in 21 of Maharashtra’s 36 districts. This does not mean that all or most of them will be swayed by the BJP’s narrative, but if the BJP’s electoral machinery manages to convince a large enough section, the Congress and its allies may face consequences.
Also, in Jharkhand, which has 32 tribes such as Munda, Gond and Santhal, the issue will be sensitive. The BJP has been running a pro-tribal campaign since last year, saying the Bangladeshis are illegally grabbing their land.
The question is – will Kharge’s visuals end the news cycle this week or will the BJP just smell blood?
