Women voters or coalition dharma? BJP in a fix

The state government in Karnataka has tasked a special investigative team to probe the allegations against Prajwal Revanna, the sitting Lok Sabha MP from the Hassan seat. But it has come to light that the BJP leadership were apprised of the complaints against Revanna, the grandson of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda. The party is being slammed for not pushing the ally to change the candidate.

HT launches Crick-it, a one stop destination to catch Cricket, anytime, anywhere. Explore now!

For its part, the BJP claims that as part of the coalition dharma, it cannot interfere in the internal decisions of the ally. The discussions are limited to seat sharing and do not venture into selection and assessment of the candidate, party leaders claimed.

But not many are buying the explanation.

A section of state leaders, who did not want to part with the Hassan seat and were not enthused with Revanna’s candidacy, are now blaming the leadership for not asserting itself enough. These leaders believe the BJP should have prevailed on the ally to consider the ramifications of fielding a candidate facing serious complaints of misdemeanor.

Allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment against some of its leaders have flustered the party this poll season. Earlier, the party had to announce a new candidate from the Barabanki seat after inappropriate videos of the candidate, Upendra Singh Rawat, surfaced. Charges of sexual misconduct against the lawmaker from Kaiserganj, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, has delayed the announcement of the candidate from the seat.

The charges are particularly galling as the party high command claims zero tolerance for moral turpitude and woos women with policy interventions such as ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’, Lakhpati Didi, etc., and claims to prioritise their economic and social empowerment.

Opponents of the BJP also point out that there is huge disparity in the party’s response to the complaints in Karnataka and to the cases of sexual harassment and violence in West Bengal.

In WB, the BJP has targetted the Mamata Banerjee government for not taking action against the perpetrators of crimes against women in Sandeshkhali. The party has made Sandeshkhali the centrepiece of its election campaign in the state, underscoring how the safety of women in the state was not prioritised by the CM. The BJP gave Rekha Patra, a survivor of the violence, a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Basirhat. On Monday, the central government announced that Patra will be given security by the Central Indsutrial Security Forces (CISF).

• ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  

  Smriti covers an intersection of politics and governance. Having spent over a decade in journalism, she combines old fashioned leg work with modern story telling tools.