Supporters of the BJP’s Janajati Samaj were not allowed to attend the reception of Janajati presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu. The venue is Jaipur in Rajasthan.
Congress leader’s thoughts
Allegedly, when the BJP supporters of the Janajati Samaj went to meet Murmu, they were stopped by the upper caste supporters of the party. Incidentally, Jharkhand Congress leader Ajay Kumar said yesterday morning, “The message that the ruling camp is trying to send about the upliftment of the Janajati Samaj by putting a person from the Janajati Samaj as a presidential candidate is nothing but a dishonest idea.” After the Jaipur incident, the Congress claims that the so-called party workers of the BJP clarified the truth of that comment.
Draupadi Murmu visited Jaipur in Rajasthan yesterday on a state visit. She had a reception at a local hotel. The party’s Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena was present there along with other BJP leaders. Along with Meena, several members of the tribal community from Dungarpur and Banswara were present to greet Draupadi. But Meena complained that even though he was able to enter, the tribal supporters who came with him were not allowed to enter the ceremony premises. For this reason, Meena pointed the finger at Rajendra Rathore, BJP MLA of Rajasthan Assembly and his followers. Meena and Rathore got into an argument. The tar was seen arguing loudly.
Meena and Rathore’s claims
Meena alleged that the Janajati Samaj people from different parts of the state could not welcome Draupadi Murmu because of Rathore’s followers. According to sources, Rathore claimed that he did not know anything about it. The video of the trouble between the two leaders spread in no time. Jodhpur’s MP and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has been given the responsibility of conducting this presidential election on behalf of the BJP. In his own state, Shekhawat became uncomfortable with the open rift within the party leadership. Later, the Union Minister got Meena and took him away.
Comments from Congress
As soon as the video of the quarrel between the BJP leaders surfaced, the Congress leadership moved. According to the party, this is exactly the message that Ajay Kumar wanted to convey yesterday morning. Commenting on the presidential election, Ajay said, “Yashwant Sinha is a worthy candidate. Draupadi Murmu is also a good one. But Draupadi is being portrayed as a reflection of evil thoughts. She should never be portrayed as a representative of tribal society.”
BJP’s counterattack
Calling Draupadi Murmu a ‘symbol of wrong thinking’, the BJP leadership quickly counterattacked. The party’s IT wing chief Amit Malviya tweeted, “The move to field Draupadi Murmu as a presidential candidate will undoubtedly help empower the Janajati Samaj. But the Congress leadership is trying to project her as the face of evil forces, as she is a woman of the Janajati Samaj.”
Explained by Ajay Kumar, a woman president of a Janajati Samaj is an isolated incident. That does not mean the empowerment of that society.