While the BJP may make a comeback in the elections in Punjab, its dilemma regarding the impact of agricultural laws in UP will also end for the time being.
Live Updates: Government repeals agricultural laws
The impact of the peasant movement was mainly visible in western Uttar Pradesh as the region was the native place of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leaders Rakesh Tikait and Naresh Tikait. Since the Tikaits come from the Jat community, most of the Jat farmers also stand behind the BKU leadership.
Though discussions on farmers’ issues are common in UP and Bihar during elections, before and after elections, they never came to the fore as a consolidated votebank. Even farmers are affected by caste divisions and politics, which ultimately makes them either in favor or against a party or candidate, at least in UP and Bihar.
Before the UP assembly elections, BJP’s Jat politics was getting affected from here. Not only Tikaits, even parties like Jayant Choudhary-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) – which thrives mainly on Jat support base – were also trying to capitalize on their opposition to agricultural laws.
According to BJP leaders, the farmers’ protests had undoubtedly given a new lease of life to the RLD, a party that had been losing faith and Jat votebanks since Jayant’s father, the late Chaudhary Ajit Singh, had grown old, and the BJP after the Muzaffarnagar riots. entered. Deep penetration in Jat society
Riding on the Modi wave, the BJP won all the 17 seats in the region in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
In the 2017 UP elections also, the party won 60 of the 80 assembly seats in western UP.
However, the BJP registered a slight decline in the number of seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party split seven seats between them, leaving the BJP with only 10 out of 17 seats.
“Nevertheless, the BJP managed to garner maximum Jat votes in its favour. Since the Jat community is vocal in nature, it is not easy to keep them in good humor all the time,” a BJP leader told TOI.
The farmers’ protests under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha, as Naresh Tikait and Rakesh Tikait added to the BJP’s woes, managed to create a buzz in western UP and the Terai region.
Parties like RLD took advantage of this opportunity and stood behind the farmers to get the support of the Jats. A BJP leader claimed, “The common saying among RLD workers in western UP was ‘Agriculture law to banna hai, Jayant Chaudhary ko jaana hai’.”
Speaking to TOI, RLD spokesperson Rohit Agarwal said, “Now, it has been proved that RLD was on the right track by standing with the farmers. We are not talking of Jats or Gujjars but of brotherhood.
Since the 2022 UP assembly elections will be the first after the demise of Chaudhary Ajit Singh, Jayant has the daunting task of cementing his position and saving the RLD’s vote base.
According to political analysts, the “provisional” Jat voter, who was a bit confused about the agricultural law and contemplating changing allegiance, will now be able to make up his mind.
He said that repeal of agricultural laws would be a matter of concern not only for RLD but also for other opposition parties as they were rallying behind farmers to create an impression among voters that BJP was working against their interests. Is.
Former journalist and BJP spokesperson Avinish Tyagi, who is a native of western UP, termed the PM’s decision as “visionary”.
Congress leader Surendra Singh Rajput, however, claimed that the fear of losing the election forced the PM to repeal the agriculture laws.
“Farmers and youth can see the intentions of the BJP and will not fall into the trap. The government should also guarantee the Minimum Support Price (MSP) to the farmers.
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