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BJP fields Dalit leader Dinesh Arya for Uttarakhand Rajya Sabha bypoll
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami with Dinesh Arya (right). (NW18 File Photo)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday named Dinesh Arya, its prominent Dalit face in Nainital district, as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha by-election from Uttarakhand.
The announcement comes almost seven weeks after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge raised the Haldwani shuddhikaran controversy in the Rajya Sabha, alleging that a purification ritual conducted after his rally amounted to untouchability.
“I belong to the Scheduled Caste and I am a Dalit. Help me and protect me,” Kharge was quoted as saying.
Kharge addressed a Congress rally in Haldwani, Nainital district, on August 8. Two days later, a right-wing group conducted a shuddhikaran ritual at the venue, triggering a political controversy. Congress alleged that the ritual was an insult to Kharge because of his Dalit identity, while the BJP repeatedly denied any involvement in the exercise.
The controversy soon escalated into a war of words between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress. FIRs and counter-complaints followed, with the Congress accusing the BJP of being insensitive to Dalit dignity and the BJP rejecting the allegations.
Against this backdrop, the BJP’s decision to field Arya for the Rajya Sabha by-election has added a new political dimension to the controversy. The move could help the party counter the Congress narrative on Dalit identity and representation, even as the BJP maintains that it had no role in the Haldwani ritual.
“Dinesh Arya ji is our seasoned leader. By selecting him as the Rajya Sabha candidatethe BJP has once again demonstrated that it is an inclusive party,” said Suresh Tiwari, a BJP spokesperson based in Haldwani.
Arya is considered a prominent Dalit leader in the BJP’s Nainital district unit and has deep roots in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He has held several organisational positions, including that of district president, and was preparing to contest the upcoming Assembly elections from Nainital.
The Rajya Sabha by-election has been necessitated by the impending end of the term of sitting BJP MP Naresh Bansal, whose tenure ends next month.
Political observers see Arya’s selection as serving two purposes.
“First, it provides the BJP with a counter-narrative to the Congress campaign around Dalit pride. Second, it could have an impact on the political messaging ahead of the Assembly elections,” said Sunil Pandey, a political analyst.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also congratulated Arya on being named the party’s candidate.
The BJP’s decision is significant as this is the third time the party has nominated a Dalit leader to the Rajya Sabha from Uttarakhand. Before Dinesh Arya, the party nominated Tarun Vijay in 2010, while Sanghpriya Gautam represented the state in the Upper House from 2000 to 2004. Both are prominent Dalit leaders associated with the BJP.
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Ask News18The BJP named prominent Dalit leader Dinesh Arya as its Rajya Sabha candidate to add a new political dimension to the Haldwani controversy and counter the Congress campaign regarding Dalit identity and representation.
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Anupam Trivedi, Uttarakhand Editor, at News18, tracks politics, government affairs, environment and developmental issues concerning the Himalayan state. Being in the profession for two decades, he has…Read More
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