Bharat Bandh announced on 21st August, Mayawati’s support received

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has given the states the right to make sub-categories in the reservation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. It has also insisted on implementing creamy layer in SC-ST reservation. Dalit organizations have announced Bharat Bandh on 21st August regarding this decision of the Supreme Court, which has also got the support of BSP chief Mayawati. All the workers and leaders of BSP will be joining in the Bharat Bandh movement across the country.

BSP National Coordinator and Mayawati’s political successor Akash Anand has announced that BSP flags will be seen in the Bharat Bandh on 21st August. He said that there is a lot of anger in the SC/ST community against the Supreme Court’s decision on reservation. Bharat Bandh called on 21st August in protest against the court’s decision. Our society is a peace-loving society. We support everyone. Our society participates in everyone’s happiness and sorrow, but today our freedom is being attacked. We have to give a befitting reply to this in a peaceful manner on 21st August.

Akash Anand said that BSP workers will come out on the streets and protest against the Supreme Court’s decision to classify SC-ST reservation. Our demand is that SC-ST reservation should be included in the 9th list of the Constitution. BSP workers and leaders will participate in Bharat Bandh at different places across the country and will submit a memorandum to the SDM in their respective tehsils, because the Supreme Court’s decision has put a question mark on reservation. Since then, our leader Mayawati has opened a front against the classification of SC/ST reservation. We are all together in the Bharat Bandh movement being organized by the society on 21st August and all the party workers will remain disciplined and submit a memorandum to the President.

Akash Anand’s announcement and BSP’s support have increased the political tension. By raising the issue of reservation, BSP is preparing to strengthen the organization across the state. BSP is trying to infuse new energy in its workers and regain its lost support base by using this excuse. BSP’s strategy is to effectively establish the issue of reservation among the voters of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe category. Rather than telling the political loss to the Dalit community due to the decision of SC-ST reservation, the strategy is to term it as a conspiracy to end reservation.

On the pretext of SC-ST reservation, BSP is going to take to the streets after about 35 years. In 1989, BSP people under the leadership of Kanshiram had organized a big movement at the Boat Club in Delhi demanding the implementation of Mandal Commission. After this, BSP workers did not organize any major movement, but in 1996, party workers demonstrated in Lucknow against the news published in a newspaper. After this, just before the 2017 assembly elections, party leaders took to the streets over the controversial comment made by BJP leader Dayashankar Singh on Mayawati. Apart from this, no protest by BSP has been found in the history of the party.