In West Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun, BJP MP Sanghamitra Maurya is considering her options after her father Swami Prasad Maurya was kicked out of the party. Meanwhile, people from OBC and Dalit communities are caught between religious appeals and material concerns.
In less than 24 hours, two senior ministers, both from the OBC community, have quit the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government.
Both, Swami Prasad Maurya And Dara Singh ChauhanThe BJP has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state of neglecting Dalits, farmers, youth and people from backward classes. Five MLAs have also followed suit.
Mr. Maurya’s daughter, Sanghamitra Maurya, is a BJP MP from Badaun in western Uttar Pradesh, the Lok Sabha constituency that has a large OBC population in five assembly seats. While she has yet to reveal whether she will follow her father or remain in the saffron party, voters in Badaun have their own issues and political preferences and say Mr Maurya’s resignation does not matter. He could not be reached for comment.
Nemchand, a Dalit daily wage laborer from the Kori community, says that under the previous Samajwadi Party (SP) government, electricity poles were installed in his neighborhood in Bilsi assembly constituency, but there is no electricity for the last five years.
Pointing to a pond next to his house, he says, “I voted for BJP last time, but look at the condition of our neighbourhood.” And water sometimes even enters our homes.”
He says that he will still vote for the BJP but “I will ask the leaders when they will come to campaign”.
Sitting next to a bonfire with them, Bhanuprakash Gupta, who owns a small grocery store, says, “’It is our religion as a Hindu’. (It is our duty as a Hindu).”
However, he maintains that his sitting MLA Radha Krishna Sharma (who recently left the BJP for the SP) never returned to his constituency. “He never showed his face after the election and did nothing for us but I will vote for BJP again.”
Interrupting Mr. Gupta, Kashyap asks Shyam Swaroop Kashyap of the OBC community how the BJP is a party of Hindus.
“They say the BJP is building a Ram temple, but what about the temple in our neighbourhood,” asks Mr. Kashyap, heading towards a famous and old Hanuman temple in Bilsi.
“Not everyone can go to Ayodhya. If they really care about Hindus, at least there will be street lights around our temple.
Mr Kashyap also says that he had voted for the SP in the 2012 assembly elections, but went with the BJP wave in 2017. “This time I am going back with SP. Dharmendra Yadav [former Budaun MP] Gave us a medical college in our district, started 108 ambulance service,” he says firmly.
When asked about Mr. Maurya’s resignation, Mr. Kashyap says that he is an able leader who always raised the voice of the poor and marginalised. He said, ‘He is right that the poor have been neglected in this regime. Even though they have provided us with free ration, it is not enough, he says.
Mr. Nemchand’s neighbour, Triveni Devi, also a blank Dalit who works as a domestic help, says that no one in her family has a ration card despite visiting the local tehsil several times. “We have young children to feed and educate. How do we survive on just ₹250-300 a day,” she asks.
Some people from the neighborhood also complain about not getting any money under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Triveni Devi’s husband Ramavatar says, “We all applied for it, but so far only 2-3 families have got it.
Mr Nemchand, who had earlier said that he would vote for the BJP, got emotional and said, “Because of all these problems, we think we will cancel all of them. [opt for NOTA],
Thakurdas Maurya, a construction worker from Badaun’s Bisauli constituency, says it doesn’t matter if the father-daughter duo leaves the party, he will go with the BJP. “Why will he not leave, his motive is now served. he will either go with the great crew [led by Keshav Dev Maurya] Or Babu Singh Kushwaha’s Jan Adhikar Party, but I don’t think he will join the SP,” said Mr Thakurdas Maurya.
He says that he also got financial aid and ration from the BJP government during the lockdown and that “the SP never did anything for the Maurya community”.
Devendra Pal Yadav, another construction worker of Sahaswan assembly constituency, says that the victory of SP is certain. look at maurya [Swami Prasad Maurya], He himself is coming with us,” he says, taking a jibe at Thakurdas Maurya.
In Ambiyapur village, Ram Chander, who is a small farmer and also owns a kirana shop, says he had voted for the BJP last time, but will now choose Akhilesh Yadav as his chief minister.
Listing out several issues, he begins with the problem of crops being destroyed by stray animals. “We have to keep a watch all night to save our crops,” he says.
Ram Chander also agrees with Swami Prasad Maurya and says that the BJP government has not done anything for the youth. He then points to his son and nephew at the shop and says, “Both are graduates and trying to find work but the government has done nothing about it. He had gone to Delhi for work but had returned due to the pandemic.
71-year-old retired school teacher Priyendra Kumar Sharma sits with him and raises the issue of rising prices of LPG cylinders, petrol and diesel. “Earlier they used to cry when petrol prices went up by ₹1 or ₹2 and today they themselves are selling it for ₹100. This government is running on dictatorship. give whatever [Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Adityanath] What is right to say or do and no other opinion matters to them.”
He admitted that he had voted for the BJP in 2017 but says that this time he will choose the SP.
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