After Tribals, Rahul wants Congress charter for SC, OBC, Minority in poll-bound Gujarat

After the Congress' focus on tribals in Gujarat, the grand old party is now also attempting a reach out to Dalit, OBC and minority communities in the state. After launching an Adivasi Satyagraha on May 10, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently asked state leaders to prepare a similar document for the latter categories, employing his close aide K Raju for the task, writes ETV Bharat's Amit Agnihotri.

New Delhi: After launching a Satyagraha for the Tribals and a charter for them in Gujarat, Rahul Gandhi has asked the state leaders to prepare a similar document for Dalits, OBCs and minorities in the poll-bound state. Gujarat, where Congress has been out of power for 27 years and is trying to stage a comeback, will have assembly polls later this year.

Earlier, Rahul had launched the Adivasi Satyagraha and a charter for the community in Dahod on May 10 where he assured the forest dwellers to protect their Jal, Jungle and Zameen (water, forests and land resources). The former Congress chief now wants a similar document listing the party’s assurances for Dalits, OBCs and minorities and had deployed his close aide K Raju to hold initial consultations with the AICC and state leaders.

"We are trying to assess the issues of marginalized communities in Gujarat and work out a document which can address their concerns," Raju told ETV Bharat. Raju, who is AICC National Coordinator for the SC, ST, OBC and Minority groups, had detailed discussions over the issue with various community leaders in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

AICC in charge of Gujarat Raghu Sharma, state unit chief Jagdish Thakor and CLP leader Sukhram Rathwa also attended the session along with several state leaders. Rajesh Lilothia, chairman of AICC SC department was also there. Party strategists said these communities together form an important chunk of the voters and have not benefited from the ruling BJP’s development claims over the past 27 years. Hence, the Congress reachout to mobilize their support.

"Of course, these communities are very important for Congress. Already an outreach program for Dalits has been initiated. We will have a similar program for the OBCs once we hold consultations," said Raju. "The idea is to deepen our connect and win their confidence by addressing some of their long pending aspirations," he said.

As per party estimates, the Scheduled Caste community amounts to 16 percent of the entire state's population, whereas the count is seven percent and 20 percent for tribals and OBCs (Other Backward Classes) respectively. Among the OBC, Patidars comprise around 14 percent voters and are sought after by both the ruling BJP and the Congress.

Over the past years, Gamdhi had roped in key OBC leaders like Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakor but they left the opposition and joined the BJP due to infighting in the state unit. Former Gujarat Congress chief Amit Chavda claimed that the exit of these leaders will not affect the grand old party which has several Patidar leaders of repute like Siddhartha Patel and Paresh Dhanani.

Raju had recently written to the National Commission for SC, ST saying the new rules framed by the ministry of environment and forests were against the Tribals. The rules allegedly diluted the role of the local panchayats during land take-over approvals for industrial projects.