Ranjona Banerji: Will it be development or Hindutva, BJP?

ldquoDirty Dalits who eat or handle cow meat are giving other Dalits a bad name I commend those who beat up the Dalits in Gujarat They have been taught a valuable lessonrdquo This is Raja Singh a BJP MLA from Hyderabad who runs a cow protection squad in Telangana The fact that he says this as news of Dalit anger is pouring in from all over India mdash when Dalits have gathered in protest as never before in Gujarat when Dalits did not show up for BJP president Amit Shahrsquos Letrsquos be Nice to Dalits rally in Uttar Pradesh mdash lays bare the BJPrsquos core beliefs when it comes to Dalits and discriminationDalits gather in protest in Ahmedabad on July 31 Thousands took a pledge not to skin cattle to protest the recent beating of Dalit youths by socalled Gau Rakshaks in Una PicAFPA senior BJP leader in Telangana trots out the usual line mdash Raja Singh was speaking in his personal capacity and the party has distanced itself from him To what extent is yet to be seen although Udit Raj one of the BJPrsquos most prominent Dalit faces has asked for Singh to be expelledA local BJP leader in Uttar Pradesh has just been expelled for calling former UP chief minister Mayawati a prostitute following parliamentary outrageFrom a political point of view the BJP seems divided about how to deal with Dalits The partyrsquos base has always been caste Hindus But in its campaign in the 2014 general elections Narendra Modirsquos promise of ldquodevelopment for everyone togetherrdquo enthused many Dalits and Muslims to vote for the BJP leading to a dramatic victorySince then Development BJP has been at loggerheads with Hindutva BJP Because no matter what senior BJP leaders and very occasionally as gently as possible the prime minister himself have said in mild reproof the partyrsquos workers and its affiliates have continued with their Hindu majoritarian statements and policiesVarious state governments that implemented cow protection laws mdash to keep Hindu vegetarians happy mdash failed to look at its implications Farmers who own most cows are not used to looking after them after a certain age Laughably inadequate provisions have been made to house and care for aging cattle The traditional system had Dalits and Muslims working as butchers tanners and so on They would do the dirty work with animal carcasses that caste Hindus would not Inevitably cow protection became an excuse to attack Dalits and MuslimsThere is an absurd belief that people who have been forced by society and tradition to do miserable jobs like cleaning human excreta and skinning dead cows do it through some divine notion of sacrifice and glory This adds insult to injury Not only are you forcing someone to do a job no one else wants to do you are then giving it some spiritual bent for your own benefit As Dr BR Ambedkar has put it quite politely what started as a privilege carrying a dead cow became an obligation No wonder and about time Dalits across India are refusing to touch animal carcasses Let those who think others find spiritual satisfaction in cleaning excreta or skinning animals do the job themselvesThe upshot of the massive Dalit anger in Gujarat after the Una incident coupled with the Patel protests is that the handpicked by the prime minister no less chief minister of the state Anandiben Patel has had to resign The BJP had been fairly successful in wooing Dalits in Gujarat by promising them the glories of inclusion in the Hindu system mdash though not as Brahmins one assumes But increasing attacks on Dalits and the existing ingrained prejudices against them seems to have stemmed that tide for nowIt remains to be seen whether there is a political price to pay The usual response in India by any political party to mistakes it has made is to blame another party or to blame history How will this work with a community who are being targeted in the here and now And if it is history which is to blame there is the argument made by Dr Ambdekar to consider that ldquoUntouchablesrdquo were made untouchable by Brahmins because they ate beefAnd he also brings up that primal problem ldquoUnfortunately beefeating instead of being treated as a purely secular matter was made a matter of religionrdquoThe Raja Singhs of the BJP however remain unrepentant They are necessary to a party that must keep its loyal supporters happyRanjona Banerji is a senior journalist You can follow her on twitter ranjona