Will Rahul's gamble with Dalits pay?

More on Rahul Gandhi, as he has embarked on an ambitious task to restore Congress to its historical might when the party ruled the whole country with no opposition. Rahul's hunting ground is UP, the Hindi cowbelt, where he is dating the Dalits, which is part of a clear political strategy. The Congress has ruled the country with Brahmin-Muslim-Dalit support base, which, however, suffered chink in the last one and a half decades, with the rise of the BJP and regional parties. Bring back the equation and Rahul can head a Congress government with absolute majority in the next elections appears to be the mantra of the coterie advising Rahul. How far his date with Dalits will go is a matter to look for, though the Muslims appear to be coming back to the Congress in UP after a long break.

The ruling BSP in UP should be disturbed with Rahul's zeal. But the flag-bearers of Mayawati are least concerned. Ask Dara Singh Chouhan, the leader of the BSP in the Lok Sabha, on Rahul's roller-coaster ride with Dalit clusters in UP and he replies nonchalantly that it's all media hype. Congress ek pagal haathi ke tarah kaam kar raha hai (Congress is acting like a mad elephant). Mr Chouhan rather adds that if the media were to give just 25 per cent of the space to the BSP that it gives to the Congress the party will show what it is capable of !!! It is definitely to ponder, as the media itself behaves like a mad elephant wherever Rahul goes. An elephantine question in the real sense of Chouhan's claims.

Rahul has reason to be maddened with the hope that he can bring the Congress to power in UP in 2012 when the next state Assembly polls are due, as he just ensured that his party bagged 21 Lok Sabha seats when all the political pundits were giving the party just around 10 seats. Mission 2012 for UP is high on the agenda of Rahul and Dalits hold the crucial link for its success.

So, staying at Dalit clusters can help you get votes. Not in the real sense, as the voters are much smarter now. They can listen to you with all earnestness that you could be fooled that you got their votes. It just does not happen that ways.

BSP's Chouhan has more to explain, as he says that his party has given the Dalits which no party in the country could give them so far. It is sammaan and aatm-viswas (honour and self-confidence). Mayawati happens to be a protector of their honour.

Stunts may not pay and Rahul will need to ask himself how could he become a protector of the honour of Dalits before he can stake claim for the honours of being a popular leader.