Ram Vilas Paswan, President of Lok Jan Shakti(LJP) and currently a Cabinet Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in the NDA regime. After the formation of the Congress-JDS coalition government in Karnataka, Paswan seems to be frightened. He is also upset to see Mayawati with Sonia Gandhi at the swearing-in ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
All of a sudden, his love for Dalits once again has emerged. He is pushing the BJP government to pass an ordinance on SC/ST ACT which is diluted by the order of the Supreme Court. At least, he came out of his rat trap to show his courage, maybe a honey trap for the Dalits of Bihar.
Nothing is moving in favour of the Dalits in India since the BJP took rein of the government. In four years of Modi government in the center, not a single Dalit MP or Minister such as Udit Raj, Vijay Sampla is seen with Mr. Modi. In four year, not a single meeting took place over the issues of the Dalits between Mr. Modi and Dalit MPs. Such is the situation in the country. Dalits of the country must sit and pose a question to themselves: How can such coward, submissive, malleable, and opportunists Dalit MPs or Ministers be good for Dalits? Scholarship meant for the Dalit students are blocked. Not a single Dalit MP or Minister raised a question in the Parliament. Not a single word is spoken by the Dalit MP or Minister against the VHP, Bajrang Dal who perpetrated atrocities against the Dalits under the thump of the BJP government. Ask yourself, will you vote for such Chameleons?
Paswan, whom Lalu Prasad has called “mausam vyaganik “(habit of seeing the winds of change)”, has been a part of NDA and UPA governments on earlier occasions. Today, again, Paswan is seeing the possible change of winds in 2019 general elections. In the emerging situation, Paswan current situation can possibly be compared with Sidhu, both Indian politicians and well-known figures across the political spectrum.
For instance, Navjot Singh Sidhu in the BJP used all kinds of bad words for Dr. Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi from the BJP stage. The same Sidhu licked the shoes of the Gandhi family and joined Congress and also become a Minister in the Congress government in Punjab. In Punjabi culture, Izzat is more paramount. A true Sikh can kill or die if his or her izzat is sullied but Sidhu by his opportunistic act has proved that he is not a true Sikh.
After 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the political situation might change in favor of Congress or the grand alliance since the people of India have already made up their mind to kick out Modi-Shah dispensation because of their anti-farmers, anti-minority policies. A recent statement made by Paswan on the TV channel that Nitish- Sushil Kumar Modi are like Ram and Laxman reflects that Paswan is afraid of Nitish turning back to Paswan. It is a fact that Paswan is not welcomed either by Nitish or Sushil Kumar Modi i.e. the BJP.
Paswan knows clearly that Nitish might turn his back to Paswan after 2019 elections. That is why Paswan is in hurry and has been making statements aiming at pushing the BJP to take the route of an ordinance to restore SC/ST Act. Paswan is no doubt a shrewd politician who knows very well that the time has come to raise issues of the Dalits, may be temporary, to win their hearts and weaken the grip of Mayawati. This time this strategy of Paswan might not work in the whole of India.
It is prophesized, Paswan will have to come back and lick the shoes of the Gandhi family after 2019 elections when the BJP will be outrightly rejected by the people of India.
Last but not the least, beware of the BJP Dalit MPs and Ministers dear Dalit brothers and sisters, they may talk about you in print or electronic media; they may come to your doorstep to ask for votes; they may push some welfare schemes for the Dalits in their respective constituencies. Do not forget, these chameleons have wasted four years of your children without jobs; do not forget in four years, your own brothers and sisters are killed brutally in the daylight and girls raped by the upper caste people; do not forget with your vote they roam in expensive cars and sleep in air-conditioned bungalows. Avoid a HONEY TRAP.
