THE BJP may not have taken a categorical stand at the national level on the Supreme Court’s landmark decision allowing states to create sub-categorisation within the SCs and STs, but several of its leaders are of the view that the verdict can helpthepartyboostitsoutreach tothemoredisadvantagedsections of Dalits. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)has assiduously cultivated the numerically-weaker Scheduled Castes (SCs) in many states, such as Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, overthe years, and the apex court’s verdict may allow the party to promise these communities with their most coveted wish --theirfair share in Government jobs and schemes, they said. The erosion of Dalit votes that hit the BJP in the recent Lok Sabha polls has sent its brain trust to the drawing board, as the party looks to rein vigorateitsoutreach to the community after the Opposition’sallegation that the Narendra Modi Government wanted to change the Constitutionfoundsometraction in the election.

 

However, a section of the partyisoftheviewthatitshould tread cautiously on an issue rife with political uncertainty and assess the overall mood within the Scheduled Castes and Tribes before outlining its position. “Most parties, be it the BJP or the Congress or many regionalparties,haverefrained fromtakingacategoricalstand. It is because the reaction from within these communities is itself divided. There are divided views within even a party, depending on who you speak to,” a party leader said. Whathasmadethings tricky for the Bharatiya Janata Party is the stand of its ally, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), against the verdict, apparently driven by the fact that its support base of Paswans in Biharis unhappy withthe idea of dividing the Dalit quota along caste lines.