The defaced electoral advertisement of the BJP candidate from Baghpat reveals the still smouldering embers of the farmers’ agitation in the citadel of Chaudhary Charan Singh that his grandson and Rashtriya Lok Dal Chief Jayant Singh is trying to reclaim this election. On Tuesday, the BJP’s Chhaprauli candidate Sahendra Singh’s convoy was once again pelted with cow dung cakes.
“First they made us sit for a year in the open and now the BJP leaders are keen on embracing us. Ab gale lagate phir rahe hain . We can see through the design,” said Veerpal Singh, a farmer in Sadiqpur Sinauli.
It is not just the hurt Jat pride. Most of the Jat farmers this reporter spoke to have no love lost for the crossbred or ‘American’ cattle as they are called, that are now accorded special status under the BJP regime, roaming free and destroying their crops after the strict curbs on slaughter.
“We bought them for higher yield but found that they don’t acclimatize to the North Indian summer. They require AC rooms which we can’t afford. They easily contract diseases, face frequent abortions and there is a perception that the milk from these hybrid varieties causes gout,” said Surendra Singh in Sinauli village.
“If it goes to a proper slaughterhouse, we don’t mind,” chipped in an elderly Baljor Singh.
The threat of Muslims that has been fanned by BJP leaders in their speeches has waned. “If you give a Muslim a choice between a knife and the lotus (BJP’s election symbol), he will opt for the knife,” said Mr Singh, who has served in the Army.
“We can defend the country on the border but the BJP can’t manipulate us in standing to save other castes by describing Muslim dominated towns in West U.P. as Mini Kairana,” said Harendra Singh. “Muslims don’t trouble us and if they do we can do their treatment on our own,” he said.
At the outer office of the Ramala cane mill, which often finds mention in CM Yogi Adityanath’s speeches for quick payment and increased crushing capacity, farmers have hoisted the RLD flag. Pawan Kumar, a farmer from Shamli said cane minister Suresh Rana hadn’t lived up to his promise of ensuring payment in 14 days. “Also, we have heard of corruption in the management of the mill.” he charged.
Soon, Ajay Sharma, a young farmer from Budhana drove in, with a BJP flag on the tractor. “The party has given us security otherwise our tractors were looted at night,” he said. Mr Sharma said the BJP followers were not responding to the aggression of RLD workers but the silent voters will press the button for the BJP.
Even some of the Jat farmers who are supporting the RLD back the BJP’s development pitch. “Something good has happened,” they concede, referring largely to the network of roads that has made their villages easily accessible from Delhi and the improvement in law and order. However, in the same vein, they add, “once Jats decide that something is rotten, there is no space left for reconciliation.”
“The government could keep saying that it has reduced the electricity tariff, we know it has been done just before the election. Similarly, police recruitment drives are announced just before the elections. They should be done in a phased manner every years to prevent candidates from going overage,” said Nitin Singh, an aspirant.
In Sisana village of Baraut, Dalit farm workers have different views,“We will vote for Behenji but some of us are contemplating shifting to the BJP because of the effective ration drive,” said Mange Ram. However, Bhopal Singh contended that the ration was not being given free. “It is like taking out large sum of money from one pocket and putting some of it back in another pocket. It is a baniya government but Samajwadis are no better. They always try to crush us. Jayant has chosen the wrong party,” he said.
For all the BKU bluster that 36 communities came together for the agitation, the Jat farmer could only count on the Muslim voter and on Yadavs and Gurjars who have sporadic influence in the region. “Ye bhateri hain (these are enough),” said Rajendra Singh playing cards at a village in Chhaprauli.
In Kandhala, close to Kairana, Jats and Muslims talk of renewed bonhomie but dig a little and you find that the unity is only EVM deep. “Jats have remembered us when they were cheated by the BJP. We have been scarred for life by making false allegations of allegations,” said Nasir Khan, an auto mechanic. “Criminals have no religion. When the extortionists were shot dead by the police, none of us commiserated with the families.”
Back in Baraut, Parvesh Ratna, a businessman said, people in the region had the habit to spit even when they had no water to gargle. “Yes, the contest will go till the last over but once the BJP affiliates move in localities, we would hit the last ball out of the park.”
Meanwhile, the RLD workers were hoping that Chaudhary Charan Singh appeared in the dream of farmers on the eve of the polling day one more time.
