Lucknow, Apr 13 (PTI) Controversy over a remark against Rajput king Rana Sanga by a Dalit MP of the Samajwadi Party has brought to the fore the importance of Dalits in Uttar Pradesh’s political landscape, with both the opposition party and the ruling BJP trying to spin their narratives on the issue to court this electorate.

With Dalits, according to political surveys, comprising 21 per cent of the electorate, this year’s Ambedkar Jayanti has witnessed a fresh dimension to the political maneuvering of the two rivals.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday launched a fortnight-long Ambedkar Samman Abhiyan, tasking BJP cadres with promoting the government’s Dalit-centric initiatives.

Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, meanwhile, unveiled a statue of Ambedkar in Etawah and reminded an audience of the party’s role in helping the Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) Kanshi Ram win a Lok Sabha election, a claim that drew criticism from the BJP.

Last month, the Samajwadi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Lal Suman stirred a controversy by calling Rana Sanga a “traitor” in a speech, drawing sharp reactions from the Kshatriya community. On March 26, scores of activists from the Karni Sena, a caste-based group advocating Rajput pride, vandalised the lawmaker’s Agra home.

Yadav has accused the BJP of backing the Karni Sena’s attack on Suman’s residence.

Speaking to PTI, Suman had linked the attack on his residence as an attack on the “Pichda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak (PDA)” coalition — a strategic voting bloc of backward classes, Dalits and minorities crucial to the Samajwadi Party’s electoral strategy.

In the lead-up to their scheduled visits to Agra in the coming week, both Adityanath and Yadav have engaged in political posturing aimed at consolidating Dalit support.

Support from Dalits and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) have been key to the BJP’s electoral success in Uttar Pradesh since 2014.

Adityanath recently urged BJP workers to actively engage with Dalits, saying, “Until we present the correct facts before the people, those who have been misleading them to serve their own political interests will continue to exploit Dalits and the deprived.” Yadav, speaking at a recent event on the Constitution, asserted, “We will not allow (them) to change the Constitution of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar.” He lauded Ambedkar as an unparalleled scholar, economist and social reformer whose experiences of discrimination were crucial in his creation of the Constitution.

Yadav also commented on continued regressive social practices.

Additionally, state minister Yogendra Upadhyaya, who represents Agra, led a ‘padyatra’ in Lucknow, underscoring the importance of Dalit voters in Uttar Pradesh.

Meanwhile, demonstrating the Samajwadi Party’s efforts to consolidate Dalit support, BSP founding member Dadu Prasad recently joined the party in the presence of Yadav. PTI MAN CDN SZM SZM