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With reports of BSP chief Mayawati paying a visit to Gujarat on August 4, a jittery BJP and its ideological mentor RSS were seen working overtime on Tuesday to contain the possible fallout of the politically explosive July 11 Una incident, a year before the State goes to polls.
Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel offered to quit a day after the July 31 Dalit Mahasammelan, where Dalits across the State announced that they would let the carcasses of cows rot and demanded licensed arms to protect themselves.
On Tuesday, the RSS-affiliate Samajik Samrasta Manch announced to organise a “Samajik Sadbhav Sammelan” at Una on August 3, a day ahead of Mayawati’s visit. It also sent out a list of preachers who would participate in the event, aimed at wooing the Dalits back into the BJP-RSS fold.
The BJP leaders have been recalling the steps taken so far by their government after the Una incident in which Dalit youths were thrashed badly by “gow rakshaks” or cow vigilantes on suspicion of skinning of a live cow. Police later said the cow had been killed by a lion.
The BJP Parliamentary Board is expected to choose Anandiben’s successor soon. According to reports, the party high command is likely to ask senior party leader Om Mathur to oversee the meeting of BJP Legislature Party in Gandhinagar to seal the next Chief Minister’s name.
Among leaders who have paid a visit to Una are Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal and Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav. The Gujarat CM met the Una victims only a day before Gandhi’s visit on July 21. This has made the BJP realise the political loss it may suffer in the Assembly elections due next year.
The BSP chief is expected to meet the Dalit victims of Una. After the incident, they were shifted to Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad for further treatment. The hospital authorities tried to discharge them on Monday when they learnt about Mayawati’s possible visit to the hospital.
Civil Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr MM Prabhakar said the four Dalit victims were discharged yesterday as their condition improved. But, on their own request, they were still kept at the hospital as OPD patients under medication and food. The victims had requested their continued stay at the hospital and demanded security at their village in Una.
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