In a bid to pacify the rebellion of the Kshatriya community against the party, the BJP has sent Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Bisahada village, which is part of the Satha-Chaurasi area, known as the ‘army factory’ of North India. Members of the Rajput community, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, turned against the saffron party over multiple issues, including the presentation of ninth-century ruler Mihir Bhoj as a Gujjar leader. “Rajput Virodhi BJP-RSS” was trending on social media amid charges of historical distortion upon the unveiling of a statue of the leader.
The Defence Minister shared the stage with many BJP dignitaries and MLAs, a majority of whom were from the Kshatriya (Rajput) community, and sought votes for Gautam Budh Nagar incumbent candidate Mahesh Sharma. The Rajputs had accused Sharma of a “biased” role during the Mihir Bhoj controversy. Rajnath Singh requested the locals to vote for the “bigger cause” and make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister again. He reminded the community about BJP’s works in the last 10 years, including quashing article 370 in Kashmir, the construction of Ram Mandir, and quashing triple talaq, among many other “achievements”. “We have to make Narendra Modi the PM again; we should not be getting involved in personal benefits. Lord Ram was sent to vanvaas because Kaikeyi thought about her personal benefit…,” Singh said while trying to pacify the rebellious Rajputs. “For four and a half hours, Narendra Modi made the Russia-Ukraine war stop to evacuate Indians…,” Singh claimed.
The BJP also faced ire from the community over a recent controversial remark by Union Minister Parsottam Rupala against Rajput women. Rupala, the BJP’s Rajkot candidate in Gujarat, at a recent event, said that while the British oppressed and tortured all Indians, members of the princely states bowed to them, fraternised with them, and even married their daughters to the imperialists. Though he apologised later, the Rajputs reacted with anger. Lok Sabha seat distribution was another disagreement between the saffron party and the Rajputs, who accused the party of fielding more candidates from other castes.
In western Uttar Pradesh, the community was triggered after the General (retd) VK Singh, a Rajput, was denied a ticket from Ghaziabad and was replaced by Atul Kumar Garg, a Baniya. The community leaders held a Mahapanchayat across west UP with a massive gathering sending shockwaves to the BJP headquarters. In the entire West UP, where there is over 10 percent population of Rajputs, the party has given only one ticket.
“The damage has been done. From 18-20 parliamentary seats, Rajputs have been shrunk to 8-9 in UP. The government refuses EWS relaxation, the Agnipath scheme is leading to uncertainty in the career of Rajput youths who overwhelmingly go to the army. History distortion of Kshatriya has been done by the party and its candidates; how can BJP expect us to vote for them? We have decided not to vote for BJP; we are not their property,” Thakur Puran Singh, founder of Kisan Majdur Sangh, who is spearheading the rebellion against BJP in west UP, said.
After Muslims and Scheduled Castes, Rajputs are the single largest community across western UP. Satha-Chaurasi (literal meaning 60-84) are the number of villages of Rajputs spread across Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, and Hapur. This area is known for the highest number of army personnel being selected from one area. Low voter turnout in the first phase of elections has also prompted the party to send its leaders to pacify Rajputs, who are known as traditional voters of the party.
