Resentment of upper caste becomes a major cause of concern for the BJP

New Delhi, Aug 30: In the meeting of chief ministers and deputy chief ministers with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and president of Bharatiya Janata Party Amit Shah in Delhi, the issue of resentment of upper caste communities with the BJP has been one of the major concern for the party. It has been instructed that upper case communities must be cajoled with the help of upper caste leadership across the country.

In the meeting, the BJP leaders touched upon various issue that might have its impact on the Lok Sabha elections. So the issue of disenchantment of upper caste community from the BJP might harm the party was also discussed. Sources said that in several BJP-ruled states, the upper caste is not happy for various reasons that included improper representation and new laws passed in Parliament.

So the chief ministers have been asked to meet community leaders. Sources said that it has been discussed in the meeting that the upper caste is not happy with the BJP is one thing and they are vocal is another which is the major concern for the party. So how to bring them on board is a big problem for the leadership. All the CMs have been asked to properly address this issue by taking all the seniour leaders to the community people.

Some of the states especially in the northern part of the country, the anger of the upper caste voters may damage the chances of the party to come to power again. For example, in Uttar Pradesh population of upper caste votes is sizable with around 12 per cent Brahmins, 9 per cent Rajput and Baishya, Bhumihar, Kayastha and many such communities taking the number to 24-25 per cent and that can definitely impact the election in anyway. Similarly Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and many other states, they are a force to reckon with.

So the cautious BJP which got this feedback from different parts of the country wants to make the community understand. Sources said that it has asked its chief ministers to send leaders to the upper caste communities that this is a bitter reality that reservation for Scheduled Caste and also Other Backward Classes (OBC) cannot be done away with. So the upper caste leadership of the BJP must reach out to community to tell them fact of the matter.

Actually resentment started growing after big upper caste leaders were either sidelined or were not given any assignment and on top of that passage of SC/ST atrocity Bill, reservation in promotion, constitutional status to OBC Commission. These things have been causing fear among the upper caste that despite working hard for the party, they seem to have been cheated. The BJP has realised this in the loss of three Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh that included Gorakhpur, Phoolpur and Kairana. In all these places the upper caste voters sat at home, so has been the case in Bihar where the RJD is emerging once again.