The Hindu : Front Page : Congress reaches out to Dalits

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Saturday, Jun 20, 2009
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Congress reaches out to Dalits

Special Correspondent

The aim is to regain party’s traditional vote bank

— Photo: Subir Roy

on RAHUL’S DAY: Congress workers celebrate Rahul Gandhi’s birthday with a motor bike rally in Lucknow on Friday.

LUCKNOW: The Congressmen in Uttar Pradesh reached out to the Dalits through social gatherings and feasts on party leader Rahul Gandhi’s 39th birthday on Friday, in a bid to create a dent in the traditional support base of the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Though the Congress general secretary and the Amethi MP was reported to be away, his agenda to regain the support of the Dalits was translated into action by the partymen.

Celebrating the day as “samrasta diwas” (social harmony day), the Congress condemned Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for her alleged objectionable remarks against Mahatma Gandhi in a booklet brought out by the BSP. A moot court trial was conducted by the Congress Sewa Dal in the party headquarters, which held Ms. Mayawati guilty for her comments on Mahatma Gandhi and barred her from contesting the elections.

Apart from distributing food in the Dalit bastis in about 40 places in Lucknow, a Dalit panchayat was held in the Congress headquarters here and the Mahila Congress workers, led by its president Meera Singh, ate food with Dalit women.

Other programmes included a motor cycle rally taken out here by Youth Congress and National Students Union of India volunteers. Sweets were also distributed with the leader of the Congress Legislature Party, Pramod Tewari, leading the party workers.

Similar programmes were held in other parts of the State where Congress leaders participated in the functions.

Mr. Gandhi’s birthday marked the beginning of the Congress campaign to woo Dalits as it prepared to take on the BSP in the State.

The general secretary made it clear that the party should be fully geared up for the Assembly polls in 2012. Regaining the Congress’s traditional vote bank of Dalits, Muslims and Brahmins formed the core of Mr. Gandhi’s strategy.

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