'Huge Insult to Dalit Community': BJP Scoffs at Congress' 'Empowerment Narrative' in India's Punjab

The Congress-ruled Punjab state, headed for assembly polls early next year, has witnessed political turmoil for six months due to infighting within the party. The State Chief Capt Amarinder Singh has stepped down from his post, paving the way for the first Dalit leader, Charanjit Singh Channi, to be the new chief.

Sunil Jakhar, a senior Congress leader in India's Punjab state, has criticised Congress in-charge Harish Rawat for "undermining" the post of state chief. His comments, meanwhile, have offered opposition parties like the BJP an opportunity to target Congress for engaging in "caste-based politics".

Earlier in the day, minutes before Charanjit Singh Channi's swearing-in ceremony as the new Punjab state chief, Jakhar took offense to a statement by Congress General Secretary and the party's Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat that the next elections in Punjab will be fought under the leadership of Navjot Singh Sidhu.

The cricketer-turned-lawmaker Sidhu is heading Punjab Congress' party unit and he is also in the race for the top post in the state.

Rawat's statement confined the role of the new state chief Charanjit Singh Channi in the days to come ahead of next year's state polls. Generally, the state chief leads the poll campaigns, but Rawat hinted the state party unit head Navjot Singh Sidhu would perform that role instead of Channi.

That is why Jakhar has criticised Rawait's remark. Jakhar, who was himself among the frontrunners for the coveted post, was earlier offered the position of deputy chief but he reportedly turned it down.

On the swearing-in day of Sh @Charnjit_channi as Chief Minister, Mr Rawats’s statement that “elections will be fought under Sidhu”, is baffling. It’s likely to undermine CM’s authority but also negate the very ‘raison d’être’ of his selection for this position.

— Sunil Jakhar (@sunilkjakhar) September 20, 2021

Jakhar's criticism of his own party Congress has made it vulnerable to opposition attacks, as the state ruling party has highlighted the appointment of a Dalit lawmaker as Punjab's state chief as a step to empower the backward classes.

The state's main opposition parties include the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Shiromani Akali Dal.

Mayawati, the chief of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and a key Dalit leader from Uttar Pradesh state, said "Channi's elevation as Punjab CM is just a ploy ahead of the elections".

Punjab state's Dalit population is 31 percent, the highest in the country, and Channi's appointment is being seen as a calculated move to appease voters from the Dalit community.

BJP member and the party's Information Technology Department head Amit Malviya said, "This completely undermines the Dalit empowerment narrative being highlighted by the Congress".

This is a huge insult to the entire Dalit community if Charanjit Singh Channi has been made the CM, only to hold the seat for Navjot Singh Sidhu, the chosen Gandhi family loyalist.

This completely undermines the Dalit empowerment narrative being peddled by the Congress. Shame. https://t.co/8zkPmiq9cq

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) September 20, 2021

The state opposition's Shiromani Akali Dal party leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa lashed out at Congress, citing Jakhar's comment. Sirsa said it has given credence to the fact that Channi has been promoted as a "dummy" state chief.

By projecting @CHARANJITCHANNI as a Dummy CM & saying 2022 elections will be fought presenting @sherryontopp as CM; @harishrawatcmuk has insulted Dalits@INCIndia & Gandhi family once again showed that they treat Dalits as pawns & don’t consider them worthy of respect & stature https://t.co/Z9HdFTrw7S

— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) September 20, 2021

Channi's swearing-in ceremony, held in the capital of Punjab and Union Territory Chandigarh, was attended by senior Congress leaders including key parliamentarian Rahul Gandhi.