Description
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel tomorrow to a key Gujjar region in Rajasthan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel tomorrow to a key Gujjar region in Rajasthan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel tomorrow to Malaseri in Bhilwara in Rajasthan on the occasion of the 1111th birth anniversary of Bhagwan Dev Narayan.Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel tomorrow to Malaseri in Bhilwara in Rajasthan on the occasion of the 1111th birth anniversary of Bhagwan Dev Narayan.
Although this visit was organized by the Ministry of Culture, it comes 10 months before the assembly election in Rajasthan.Malaseri is the birthplace of Bhagwan Dev Narayan, who is highly revered in the region, especially among the Gujjars, who are now a major source of support for the BJP and Congress elections.
In the last elections, the BJP handed out tickets to nine people from the Gujjar community. They all lost when the Gujjar vote went to Congress in the hope that Sachin Pilot would become the first Gujjar Chief Minister of Rajasthan.
But this expectation has been disproved and PM Modi's visit seems to be a strategic approach of the BJP to the Gujjars Bank through a religious agenda.
"The Prime Minister has undertaken a number of religious and cultural restoration projects such as the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the Ujjain Temple. Hopefully something will be done for the Dev Narayan Temple as well. We shouldn't look at everything through a political lens," said the state chairman of the BJP. Satish Poonia told NDTV.
Gujjars make up around 9-12% of the state's population and hold 40-50 assembly seats in eastern Rajasthan.
In the past, the Gujjars have launched violent protests over the reserve and recently threatened to block Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from entering the state.
“What happened last time will not happen again. Last time the Gujjars lost and now they have learned their lesson. Of course, we want Gujjar MPs. The Gujjars hold some 40 seats. Let's see what the impact will be," Vijay Bainsla, who took over the Gujjar reserve movement after the death of his father Colonel Kirori Singh, told NDTV at the Dev Narayan temple.
Sachin Pilot is an individual factor and cannot be repeated in every election, Bainsla said.
