BJP worker writes to national president Nitin Nabin, suggests considering Dalit leadership for the state
Almora. BJP worker Rajiv Gururani has written to party national president Nitin Nabin, suggesting that the BJP should promote Dalit leadership and social harmony alongside its Hindutva agenda in Uttarakhand.
In his letter, Gururani referred to the BJP’s political journey in the Uttarakhand region and said the party’s electoral position was relatively weak until the late 1980s. He highlighted the Ram Jyoti movement in Almora in 1990 and said that the movement was followed by wider public support for the BJP across the Uttarakhand region.
Gururani also referred to the formation of Uttarakhand in 2000 and subsequent political developments. He noted that the BJP was defeated in the 2002 Assembly elections and was reduced to 19 seats, after which a political pattern of alternating BJP and Congress governments emerged.
According to Gururani, the BJP broke this pattern in the 2022 Assembly elections by returning to power for a second consecutive term. He attributed an important role to public support for Hindutva and the construction of the Ram temple in strengthening the BJP’s political position.
The BJP worker also referred to the current political situation and alleged that the Congress was attempting to portray the BJP as anti-Dalit through political debates surrounding the Haldwani “purification” controversy.
Gururani pointed out that since the formation of Uttarakhand, both the BJP and Congress have largely relied on upper-caste leadership for the Chief Minister’s position. He suggested that the BJP should seriously consider providing greater opportunities to leaders from the Scheduled Caste community.
He said that if the BJP combines Hindutva with social harmony and Dalit leadership, and considers the possibility of entrusting the state’s leadership to a leader from the Scheduled Caste community, it could send a significant and positive message across Uttarakhand.
Gururani said such a decision could also strengthen the BJP’s commitment to “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas” and help broaden its social and political appeal in the state.
