Has BJP Scored Another Self Goal Before UP Polls?

A day after BJP Vice-President Dayashankar Singh's offensive remarks against BSP chief Mayawati caused a furore across the state and in Parliament, the BJP surely needs to do a lot more to keep the motor mouths of their party in check.

A viral video that showed Dalit youths being beaten up by vigilantes for skinning a dead cow in Gujarat was already making the BJP look like a party against the poor and the down-trodden.

"Mayawati gives tickets for Rs 1 crore and if there is someone who can give Rs 2 crore than she sells it for Rs 2 crore within an hour. If someone is ready to give Rs 3 crore by the evening, she gives the ticket to him. She is even worse than a prostitute," Dayashankar had said on Wednesday.

However, this was not first instance when a BJP representative made an objectionable remark referring to the Dalits.

1) In September 2015, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's comments on reservation policy had also sparked severe criticism.

"If we would have implemented this policy as envisaged by the Constitution makers instead of doing politics over it, then present situation would not have arrived. Since inception it has been politicised," Bhagwat had said.

The party machinery went into damage control and said that the party supports the reservation for everyone who benefits from it currently.

But Minister of State, General VK Singh's remarks a month later dealt a serious blow to the party's ambitions in Bihar and send it running for cover.

2) In October 2015, during the run up to Bihar Election, Singh remarked, "If somebody throws a stone at a dog, then the government is responsible. It is not like that."

3) Months later, the BJP's inefficient handling of Dalit scholar Rohita Vemula's suicide had further alienated the community turning it into a national issue, much to the disappointment of the ruling party.

4) In February 2016, while speaking in the Parliament, then HRD Minister, Smriti Irani had linked 'Mahishasur Martyrdom Day" to the JNU row. Not only did this reference meet with sharp condemnation in the Parliament but also disappointed various tribal communities who treat Mahishasur as a venerated figure.

On Thursday, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh came to a standstill after dalit groups blocked major junctions and caused traffic snarls over Dayashankar's remarks.