Recall the 1960s. An anti-Congress sentiment was gaining momentum in north Indian states, facilitating the arrival of non-Congress parties to power in some areas. Parties challenging the Congress were inspired by the philosophy of socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohiya. Recollect his “pichda pave sau me saath” (backwards should get 60 of 100) slogan.
Now heed Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s 11 June speech, in which he said that people who form 50-60 percent of the population should get their due.
“The doors of banks should remain open to them. Their political ambitions should be taken care of. Attempts to divide them should be opposed,” the Gandhi scion said, adding that the Congress will take note of the group’s demands.
Which 60 percent of the population is Rahul referring to? This group is also known as OBC or Other Backward Classes. They form a significant portion of every state, albeit the number varies.
If the aforementioned group votes en bloc, it possesses the capability to change the fortunes of any party in any state. In the late 1960s, the Congress party, in the post-independence politics, faced a mass opposition, led by this group.
Among the big Lohia-ites, who opposed the Congress, were Jai Prakash Narayan, Chaudhary Charan Singh, Acharya Kripalani, Morarji Desai, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar. Some of these names – Chaudhary Charan Singh, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad Yadav – deserve attention at this juncture.
Charan Singh's son Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and Mulayam's Samajwadi Party (SP) will be on the Congress' side in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Sixty years later, things have come full circle to the pre anti-Congress era.
The 11 June OBC convention, if looked through this prism, was a grand success for the Congress party. The import of Congress' convention was clear. For its allies, the Congress clarified that it is not shy of echoing the voices of the group these parties represented. The second message was to the group that, 60 years ago, had started distancing itself from the grand old party.
Rahul's Message to the OBCs
The Congress President didn't just talk about reservation but hidden in his words was the "ease of doing business". How did Coca-Cola and McDonald's become such multinational enterprises? With "talent" and "favourable" environment.
The group that Rahul has been intending to woo believes that it doesn't lack the potential. If the talent has an "ease of doing business", the country will witness the rise of huge corporations. The dream he tried to sell can help spur entrepreneurship in the country.
But for the Congress president, the road ahead is full of challenges.
The OBC group has been assertive in politics. Sections with the group prefer going to individual parties, for they think it serves their interests. The prospects of them coalescing around the Congress, at least at the moment, are bleak.
Congress allies, on the other hand, could perceive this as the grand old party's attempt to eat into their vote bank.
However, Rahul can be commended for having made a fresh start by reaching out to this group. The Congress president has, 60 years later, finally endeavoured to embrace Lohia-ism.
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