BJP, Congress Clash Over Dalit Votes, Ambedkar’s Legacy
Deccan ChronicleNew Delhi:Behind the ongoing political battle over the alleged insult of B.R. Union home minister Amit Shah’s remark in the Rajya Sabha gave the Opposition an opportunity to whip up anti-BJP sentiments among the Dalits, the objective is clear — the Congress wants to further consolidate the 4 per cent Dalit votes it gained in the last general election over the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Concerned with the loss of Dalit voteshare in the last Lok Sabha polls as compared to the general election in 2019, the top BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah, came forward to counter the Opposition's allegations of B.R. While the ruling BJP got 34.5 per cent of the Dalit votes in 2024 in SC reserved seats, which was 1 per cent less than what it got in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Ambedkar, Congress Lok Sabha MP Kumari Selja, a veteran Dalit leader, said that the BJP is trying to usurp the legacy of B.R.