Rajput anger forces BJP to deploy Rajnath, Yogi to secure its Lok Sabha plan

New Delhi: The shadow of caste anger is looming large over the Bharatiya Janata Party’s attempt at regaining a majority in Lok Sabha for a third time in a row. The Rajput community is simmering with rage over the alleged betrayal of the caste at the hands of the saffron unit.

The repeated Rajput community panchayats, held over the past few days, have also caused a situation of panic amongst the top leadership of the BJP, which is now understood to be roping in senior saffron leaders to create an outreach with the antagonized group.

Sources stated that the party’s top leaders who hail from the Rajput community, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, have been roped in to make an outreach with the community.

On April 7, the Rajputs held a massive Mahapanchayat in Saharanpur, which created ruffles within the BJP. However, the BJP has been trying to underplay the anger issue amongst the community even as its senior leader Rajnath Singh at a rally in the region said the Rajput issue was a rumor and misinformation.

At a recent rally in Muzzafarnagar, CM Yogi made party leader Sangeet Som and Sanjeev Balyan sit next to him and spoke to Som, on the stage. Som had been angry with the Jat leader as he blamed him for the defeat in the last UP Assembly polls.

There is a belief in the BJP that if the Rajput community isn’t “persuaded” to come over to the saffron camp soon, it would be very difficult for the party to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Abki Baar, 400 Paar” aim in 2024 general elections.

The Rajput community can have a major impact on poll outcomes on at least 60-70 seats spread across the states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

However, the anger of the Rajput community with the BJP isn’t a new phenomenon and has been simmering for the past several months. And Rajput community leaders from various states have alleged that their caste is being overlooked by the saffron camp for being staunch BJP supporters over the years.

Their grievances include perceived neglect by the party, highlighted by the allocation of fewer Lok Sabha tickets despite their large presence. The community is also angry with the non-representation of Rajputs in the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Trust of Ayodhya. Lord Ram was a Kshatriya; however, other castes dominate the trust of the temple, they allege.

With just days to go for the first phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections, it is time that the BJP urgently addresses the issue of anger amongst the Rajput community. If the issue is left unresolved, the INDIA bloc can expect some surprising gains in several of these states.

However, with the prompt deployment of Rajnath and Yogi, it has been amply displayed by the BJP that it is not taking the Rajput community for granted and hopes to keep one of the staunchest supporters of the saffron cause with itself in the times ahead.