Sunday Interview: Uttar Pradesh wants change, growth, and BJP will provide both'

Udit Raj, BJP MP and national chairman of the All-India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations, admitted that he has been flooded with calls from across the country over the Una incident, but rejected the Opposition’s allegations that his party is “anti-dalit or anti-OBC”. In an interview to Yojna Gusai, he says the BJP will do well in both Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

The recent incident in Una, Gujarat, and the abusive language used by one of the BJP leaders against Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati rocked Parliament. Your party was accused of being anti-dalit.

What happened in Una was highly condemnable and I deplore the language used by Dayashankar Singh (former vice-president of BJP’s UP unit). But what happened in Parliament was bad politics. The Gujarat government took prompt action; 16 accused are behind bars and the rest will be there soon. It is not right to say that the BJP is anti-dalit when a significant number of people from the dalit and OBC communities support us. These two were unfortunate incidents, but there have been such incidents in the past as well.

Many felt that the Congress was trying to take a lead in attacking the BJP on these issues.
Political parties are meant to do politics, but not bad politics. Post-Independence, the Congress ruled for more than 50 years. Had they laid the foundation of the system properly — the foundation of law and justice, the foundation to bring down the gap between rich and poor, the foundation of lessening the gap between upper and lower castes — we would not have witnessed such unfortunate incidents after so many years of Independence. Dalits would not have been in such a pitiable condition if the Congress had laid a strong foundation. In Una, the very act of the perpetrators shows that (the perpetrators feel) dalits somehow are less important than animals. I condemn such incidents.

But both the BJP and the Anandiben Patel-led Gujarat government came under fire over these incidents.
The Gujarat government took immediate action in the Una incident. Some culprits are behind bars and the chief minister has assured that justice would be provided. In Dayashankar’s case, the party leadership did the maximum that could have been done. He was not only removed from all posts but also from the party. No political party can do anything beyond this. Now, the law will take its own course. But there are some parties that are hell-bent on raising a hue and cry over the issue. In both cases, some parties are trying to politicise it for vested interests. This is what I call bad politics.

But have Dayashankar’s controversial remarks dented the party’s image or affected your party’s election strategy in Uttar Pradesh?

Why should it affect the party when it took the strongest action against him? In the Una incident, too, the state government has taken prompt action.

You must be getting calls from your followers complaining about the Una incident?

Yes, I have received hundreds of calls from across the country since the incident took place. They ask me why I am not doing anything. But then I also explain to them the facts and what the government has done.

Will you discuss it with the party leadership?

Yes, I will.

Many feel that the BSP, which is the favourite of many poll pundits for the UP elections, would only gain after the Dayashankar incident.

It is too early to predict who is winning and who is not. Elections are still far and this is a temporary thing.

It is often alleged that in the BJP people belonging to a certain caste reach the top or get promoted...

As compared to the upper caste, yes, there are not many dalits and OBCs, but it is wrong to say they are not promoted. Look at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he is also an OBC.

Do you think there will be a time in the near future that the BJP will be the first choice of dalits and OBCs?

I joined this party in 2014 and, if you see the 2014 general elections, lots of dalits and OBCs voted for the BJP.

But then what happened in Bihar the next year?

See, there was confusion on the party’s stand on reconsideration on reservation. Though it was cleared that the BJP stands with the existing reservation policy, it did affect our performance.

Will the perception that the BJP is “anti-dalit” ever change?

It has started changing.

Do you think this change in perception will help your party in the UP and Punjab elections?

We will definitely do better in both the states. In Uttar Pradesh, people want change. They have seen both the Samajwadi Party and BSP rule, and for a long period the Congress had also ruled the state. People now want a change, and they want development, and the BJP will provide both.

But the way the BSP has used the controversial remarks against its supremo, it seems to have gained sympathy and consolidated the dalit vote bank. Many feel it will improve its poll prospects…

See, it is a temporary phenomenon. There have been incidents earlier also when controversial remarks were made against some and it had seemed then that the heavens would fall. Emotions do not stay forever. Our party is doing good for dalits and OBCs, and will continue to do so no matter what the Opposition claims.