Sagar: Ahead of the upcoming Madhya Pradesh assembly election and the Lok Sabha election next year, the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress are wooing Dalits in the state with Bundelkhand evolving as the Centre of the politics over the Dalit vote bank. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently announced the construction of Rs 100 crore Sant Ravidas temple in Sagar district on Ravidas Jayanti.
The Bhoomipujan of the proposed temple was done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12th of August. In a bid to contend the BJP's move, the Congress made a parallel announcement of a State University in the name of Sant Ravidas. On August 22, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge announced in the name of Saint Ravidas in Sagar with senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath in attendance at a rally.
Also read: PM to visit poll-bound Madhya Pradesh today, to lay stone for Sant Ravidas temple at Sagar
Congress leaders believe that by announcing the state university in the name of Sant Ravidas, the Congress President killed two birds with the same stone. Congress leaders say that after granting of status of Central University to Harisingh Gour University of Sagar, there was a long pending demand for a State University to be set up in the district for a long time.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh had made the announcement many times in this regard, which however has remained confined to papers only, Congress leaders said. Congress leaders said that a state university in Sagar will have a two-pronged utility for the local Dalit youth. Firstly, the university will meet the higher education demands of the Dalit youth.
Secondly, setting of the university will also provide unemloyment opportunities to the locals, Congress says. The Sant Ravidas temple announced by the BJP government was also embroiled in a controversy after followers of Sant Ravidas opposed the location of the temple at Badtuma, 15 km away from Karrapur, which has been traditionally associated with Sant Ravidas.
Analysts say that this gives an edge to the Congress over the incumbent BJP. But BJP's Sagar MLA Shailendra Jain said that Congress has made many announcements without implementing them on ground. “But the chief minister made the announcement in February and the Bhumi Pujan of the temple was done in August,” he said.
