Why BJP chose Ambedkar Jayanti as date for Modi’s visit

The choice of BR Ambedkar Jayanti as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Haryana is seen as a part of BJP’s symbolic outreach to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community.

Fresh from its hat trick in the October 2024 Assembly poll, the party has been able to kill two birds with one stone by timing Modi’s visit with Ambedkar’s anniversary. One, it has underlined the BJP government’s commitment to infrastructure development with Modi unveiling multiple projects, and two, the BJP has been able to send a message of gratitude to the SC community, which apparently stood by the party in the Assembly poll.

During the last Assembly poll, the BJP won eight of the 17 seats reserved for SCs, up from five in the 2019 elections. This was seen as a sharp shift from the 2024 Lok Sabha poll when the BJP and the Congress won five seats each, with a sizeable SC vote rallying behind the Congress in the wake of the allegations of tampering with the Constitution by the BJP.

However, rampant factionalism in the Congress helped the BJP turn the tide and win back the Dalit vote, helping it form the government third time in a row — a first in Haryana’s electoral history.

Besides Congress bashing, Modi, during his two speeches today, underlined his double-engine government’s commitment to the uplift of the downtrodden following ideals of social justice and dignity for all propounded by Ambedkar. Modi repeatedly mentioned SCs and OBCs, a formidable electoral combination in the state comprising over 50% of the voters.

The BJP has been making efforts to consolidate the Dalit vote bank, besides non-Jats. Haryana was the first state last year to implement the Supreme Court’s judgment on the sub-classification of Dalit reservations.

Why April 14?

• To blunt Congress’ allegations of BJP tampering with the Constitution

• As a mark of gratitude to Dalits for backing the BJP in the Assembly poll; party won eight of 17 seats in Assembly — up from five in 2019

Haryana Tribune