Jalandhar: Charanjit Singh Channi will make history by becoming the first Minister of Punjab Dalit, but the political impact of his appointment may not be linear because Dalit in Punjab still is politically divided into the caste path even when they form almost one third of the population.
The narrative has CM Dalit in Punjab started by BJP in April this year on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti even though the party did not have a strong base between them and Congress now walked on the road.
The decision can blunt BJP’s efforts to play Dalit cards.
It can also make work harder for Shiromani Akali Dal-BSP Alliance as the last one remains a party of most of the case – Adi-Dharmi / Ravidassia and Channi communities included in the same caste.
However, this same factor can complicate the situation for Congress.
Two of the largest scheduled caste communities, Mazhabi Sikh / Valmiki and Ravidassia / Adi-Dharmi have competed with each other in political space.
For example, even though there was an attempt by the founder of BSP Kanshi Ram to unite them under a single Dalit identity, he could not make BSP parties all Dalit, and Mazhabi Sikhs / Valmicis mostly moved away from him.
While Channi can be a positive factor in the Ravidassia / Adidharmi community, at the same time this can cause competitive voices among Mazhabi Sikhs, which is the largest community among the scheduled caste in Punjab, and opposition parties can also try to do it.
Valmicists, mostly urban-based and have Hindu identities, most remain with Congress while Akali Dal has succeeded in making several breakthroughs between them.
Mazhabi Sikh is mostly based in the countryside and they have been aligned with the Akali Dal and Congress.
At the same time, how JAT Sikhs, who remains the biggest caste / community because their population is estimated to be around 25% even when BJP confirms them around 18%, looking at the height of a dalit leader will also be cm.
Being a factor.
They along with other Sikh played a very significant role for Congress in the 2017 assembly and the 2019 parliamentary election and even the PEW survey recently confirmed the last part.
How the proposition removes Dalit CM, after winning the assembly selection of 2022, will work also unpredictable.