Siddu tries to woo Maha Dhangar votes away from BJP

NT | Nanded

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday reached out to members of the Dhangar caste in Maharashtra’s Nanded district. The move assumes significance as Siddaramaiah comes from the Kuruba, who like the Dhangars, are a nomadic shepherd caste. Both groups have similar cultural practices. More importantly, Dhangars have been known to vote for the BJP in large numbers. In fact, the BJP has tried to cultivate the Ma Dha Va (Mali, Dhangar and Vanjari) vote to compete with the Congress support base of Marathas, Dalits and Muslims. If Congress manages to woo some Dhangar votes away from the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, it would prove consequential since the nomadic caste is populous in upwards of 30 Assembly seats, besides four Lok Sabha segments.

The Dhangars are currently listed as an Other Backward Class (OBC) and receive the benefit of 3.5 per cent under the Nomadic Tribe (NT) C sub-category. However, members of the community demand inclusion in the seven per cent Scheduled Tribe (ST) quota. Other STs are not keen on sharing the quota pie with them. The BJP on the other hand is trying to placate Dhangars with symbolic gestures like renaming Ahmednagar district as “Ahilyanagar” after a queen from the community. Ahilyadevi Holkar, born in the 18th century in Chaundi in Ahmednagar to Dhangar parents, was married off to Khanderao Holkar.

While in power, she was known to expend large sums on charitable works. A delegation of Dhangar leaders met Siddaramaiah in Nanded on Saturday and felicitated him with the traditional shawl and stick associated with the community. “In Maharashtra’ Nanded, I met with Dhangar community leaders who honoured me, showered me with affection and held talks for some time,” Siddaramaiah said.

CM sees red over ‘lies’; Later on, the CM addressed a public meeting in Mangalwedha town in Solapur district of Maharashtra, where he continued to the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over “lies” about the guarantee schemes, even vowing legal action against the same. “We will ensure they (BJP) face the consequences of their false claims,” Siddaramaiah said. He was referring to an advertisement taken out by the BJP, which claimed Congress didn’t implement the guarantee schemes pertaining to a “woman head of household” receiving monthly allowances.

“In post-independence India, no Prime Minister has ever told as many lies as Modi, and none will ever do so in the future,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that Modi had falsely claimed that the Congress had expended Rs 700 crore in bribes from the Karnataka Excise Department in the Maharashtra elections. Mangalwedha taluk is home to a number of Kannada speaking villages near the border with Vijayapura district. Siddaramaiah hailed Mangalwedha as a place where philosopher, saint and founder of the Lingayat religion Basavanna preached his radical anti-caste message.