Page 21 - June2018

politics

here is an old Yogi’s ‘rural outreach’ two-day visit of Yogi Adi-
saying but still tyanath to Pratapgarh and
very much in changes gears Amroha on April 26, the chief
vogue,“Those who minister’s office ensured that
T eat together, stay none of the earlier mistakes
together.” In the caste and The Gram Chaupal Abhiyan has a new meaning were repeated. Instructions
religion riddled political were sent to authorities not
scenario of the present-day with UP government making its representatives to make any special arrange-
Uttar Pradesh, this saying spend at least a night with Dalit families. But is it a ments for the CM’s visit. The
has necessitated the addition CM also ensured that he
of another angle to it “to eat BJP tactic or is it something that the Congress had partook of frugal meal in leaf
together, stay together and already tried and tested?, asks Kulsum mustafa plates sitting on the floor of
also stay at a Dalit household the thatched hut.
overnight” if you wish to reap Here I am reminded of a
rich harvests at the hustling. story told by a retired bureau-
In phase one of the now crat who said that all through-
renamed Gram Chaupal Ab- out his career, including
hiyan, which lasted till May 5, when he became the district
there was a mandatory clause magistrate he ensured that he
of ‘night halt’ attached to the landed in the city of his post-
directive. But from June 1, ing a day or two in advance of
when the second phase starts, his joining. He spent in taking
this condition has been done a round of the city incognito
away with from the ambitious and learning about the city
rural outreach programme. and its people. The next day
Under this 15-day pro- when he donned the mantle
gramme Chaupal Abhiyan, of the officer he knew the
the state government will place like the back of his hand.
cover around 50,000 village He was able to do justice to his
panchayats and 13,500 vil- work and none of his juniors
lages. The various schemes • Wooing Dalits The UP govt aims to Yogi-led government put could take him for a ride.
of both the State and Central cover 50,000 village panchayats it to practice in the state sup- Something on the same
government will be moni- porting it with total state ma- pattern has been on the mind
tored and reviewed. Also, en- chinery. The ministers were of politicians who started the
rolment of eligible persons for directed to cover at least two trend of getting officers to
various government schemes districts and as many villages spend a night or two in the
will be done on the spot. time-tested as possible to make the party’s rural areas. These camps are
Launched by Prime inroads into rural pockets. The meant to be a good learning
Minister Narendra Modi on formula ministers had to make night experiences for the officers
BR Ambedkar’s birth anni- halts in pre-selected villages and can come handy in deal-
versary, the first phase was of OBC Dalit households. The ing with the day to day issues
not without hiccups. These The outreach programme is media found it good writing of rural folks. But over the
chaupals were designed to as- not BJP’s original plan. The material, but the coverage years the same has been given
suage the feelings of the Dalits formula was ground tested by was mostly negative. Pictures the color of ‘ barra sahibs
hurt after the Supreme Court the Congress before the 2014 of the ministers partaking accompanying the politi-
order diluting the SC/ST Act. Lok Sabha polls. Rahul Gandhi of multi-cuisine dinners at cians ‘ and shallow effort to
Through this rural outreach directed UPCC leaders to spend the humble abode of poor, strike a chord with the Dalits,
programme the BJP hoped to nights at Dalit villages. He undernourished Dalits were to send across the messages
kill two birds with one stone. himself took the lead by staying splashed in all local media. that the government treats all
While it would address the overnight in a Dalit household Complaints of mosquito men- with the same yardstick and
public grievances it would, at in Bundelkhand village. As the ace and foul odours made that this is to stress that there
the same time, campaign for Congress lost the elections it by ministers like Anupama is no difference between
its flagship schemes both of was taken as another political Jaiswal leaked to the press them and the poor and the
the state and the Centre and gimmick not guaranteed to inviting ridicule and disgust. downtrodden’
explain how the people could ensure desired results. Taking heed from these
benefit from them. negative reports prior to the letters@tehelka.com

Tehelka / 15 june 2018 21 www.Tehelka.com

21 Kulsum Mustafa.indd 3 04/06/18 12:27 PM