Amid the ongoing tussle among the opposition parties to woo the influential 'Brahmin' community ahead of the Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, which is due in 2022, the BJP was left red-faced after one of its lawmakers sought to corner his own government over the safety and security of the community in the state.
BJP legislator from Lambhua Assembly seat in Sultanpur district, about 150 kilometres from here, Deomani Dwivedi, who hails from the 'Brahmin' community, has sought to know from the state government about its future plan to ensure the community's security.
The legislator also wanted to know about the number of 'Brahmins' murdered in the state since the party came to power in UP and in how many cases the police were able to arrest the culprits.
Dwivedi also sought to know how many 'Brahmins' had applied for arms license and whether the state government would give preference to the community members in issuing the licenses.
The MLA said he planned to ask these questions during the forthcoming session of the state Assembly beginning from Thursday.
Meanwhile, the saffron party, in an apparent bid to continue to tighten its grip on the community, has proposed a medical insurance scheme for the 'Brahmins'.
The proposal came after the Samajwadi Party (SP) and BSP declared to construct a statue of 'Bhagwan Parashuram', the most important 'Brahmin' icon, in the state.
The Congress party too has hinted that it was mulling to project a 'Brahmin' as its chief ministerial face in the next Assembly polls in UP.
'Brahmins', who formed around 10% of the electorate in the state, were a deciding factor on around a dozen Lok Sabha and over 50 Assembly seats.
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