While defending his decision to contest elections in Seemanchal region of Bihar the leader of All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), Asaduddin Owaisi recently claimed that his party is bringing in Dalits and other deprived sections, along with the Muslims, into its fold. He rebutted the charge that his party is espousing the cause of Muslims only and thus indulging in communal politics.
But is there any scope for Dalit-Muslim alliance under the stewardship of Majlis leader when the Scheduled Castes of Bihar have not reposed full faith in any leader of their own community––even Kanshi Ram and Mayawati.
Unlike in UP the Dalit votes are grabbed by various parties and even the tallest leader of the community, Ram Vilas Paswan, has to join hands with other parties and fight for his political survival.
In such a situation how can Majlis win the support of Dalits of Bihar when it has failed to reach out to them in the home turf of Telangana in the 87-year of its existence; or in Maharashtra, the state known for Dalit movement ever since the days of Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
The party put up candidates in Muslim dominated pockets in Maharashtra, especially in the region which formed part of erstwhile Nizam state and not in Vidharba, which has a good Dalit population.
Similarly Majlis has decided to put up candidates in Muslim concentrated Seemanchal region, and not in pockets having good Dalit population for example, in Vaishali, Gaya, Rohtas or several other districts.
None of the nine MLAs of the party (seven from Telangana and two from Maharashtra) is Dalit, nor is there any of them in top position of Majlis.
The big question is: why will Dalits pay any heed to his call in Bihar, which is going to poll? If the Lok Janshakti Party, the outfit led by Ram Vilas Paswan could just get 6.4 per cent votes in the last year’s Lok Sabha election, how can AIMIM even dream of getting their votes. It needs to be reminded that the LJP contested the election in alliance with the BJP and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party in the state. If it could win six out of seven parliamentary seats it contested in 2014 it was largely because more BJP votes got transferred in favour of LJP and not the other way round.
In Bihar Scheduled Castes form 15.72 per cent of population. The largest Dalit party could manage to get just 6.4 per cent of votes at the height of Narendra Modi wave. The post 2014 poll study revealed that 68 per cent of Paswans voted for the NDA. Out of 15.72 per cent Dalits only four per cent are Paswans. Thus Ram Vilas can at best be considered as the leader of just his own sub-caste and not the entire Dalits of Bihar, where there are 22 Scheduled Castes.
As the LJP has often been contesting elections in alliance with different parties it is difficult to judge its own strength. It cannot get even 50 per cent of votes of the entire Dalit population though he is in electoral politics since 1969 and served as Union minister for several years. At present his party, LJP, has not a single MLA in the state Assembly.
In contrast one can judge the strength of Mayawati as Bahujan Samaj Party got 19.82 per cent votes when it contested alone. This was the figure when the party performed worst. The Dalit votes in Uttar Pradesh is 21.15 per cent.
Thus LJP remained a minor player in Bihar politics in spite of so much Dalit population.
The capability of another Dalit leader and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has not yet been tested. The BJP is not too sure of him, therefore, has left just 20 seats for his outfit, Hindustani Awam Morcha.
If such towering Dalit personalities like Kasnhi Ram, Mayawati, Ram Vilas Paswan etc could not become the leader of Dalits of Bihar how can Owaisi with no base whatsoever even among Muslims?
Interestingly, Kanshi Ram was born at Ropar in Punjab while Mayawati in Delhi yet they managed to make UP as their ‘karambhoomi’, but not in Bihar.