Explained: This article explains the political background, key decisions, and possible outcomes related to Explained : Uttar Pradesh Dalits and the social justice conversation and Its Impact and why it matters right now.
The message conveyed by the Congress party’s Samajik Parivartan Diwas (Social Transformation Day) event at Lucknow to mark the 92nd birth anniversary of Kanshi Ram, founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party, is crystal clear.
The streets of Lucknow as well as the stage of the event were awash with posters of Gandhi, Nehru, Maulana Azad alongside those of Kanshi Ram, Shahuji Maharaj, Jyotiba Phule and Bhimrao Ambedkar. The programme at Jupiter Hall in the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan was scheduled to begin at 2.30 pm, yet by 2.00 pm the hall was packed to capacity.
Seated on the dais were those who had worked closely with Kanshi Ram and held positions within the BSP government including K.K. Gautam, Lalmani Prasad, Anees Ansari, Om Prakash Mahto and B.P. Ashok, among others — all hailing from the Dalit, extremely backward and Pasmanda communities.
When Rahul Gandhi addressed the gathering and said that mere sloganeering would achieve nothing, that he needed a hundred individuals willing to dedicate themselves to grassroots-level change in the politics of Uttar Pradesh — nearly the entire audience rose to their feet, chanting with raised fists: “Me! Me!”
None of this, however, is mere coincidence. The political landscape in Uttar Pradesh has undergone a transformation since campaigning began for the 2024 Lok Sabha election — when riding the momentum generated by the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the BJP’s rallying slogan was ‘400 paar’.
Nearly all political analysts, journos and their dogs predicted a sweep for the BJP, but instead, various sections of the electorate in Uttar Pradesh switched allegiance to the Congress and Samajwadi Party, restricting the BJP to 33 seats in the state and its overall tally in the Lok Sabha to 240.