Congress banks on Punjab CM to woo Dalits in Uttar Pradesh

Hoping to regain its past glory in Uttar Pradesh in the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state, Congress has decided to use Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi to garner the support of the Dalits in the state.

According to the sources in the state Congress, Channi, who hails from the Dalit community, would be campaigning in the state to seek the support of the community.

Congress would also be holding a 'Dalit Mahasammelan' (meet) in Kanpur next month which would be addressed, among others, by former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Channi.

The 'Mahasammelan' was aimed at conveying to the Dalit community the various initiatives undertaken by the Congress governments in the past for the SCs. "Congress is the only party which has taken steps for the development and progress of the Dalit community...all the other parties have used the Dalits only as vote banks,'' Alok Prasad, the president of the party's SC cell in the state, said.

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He said that more 'Dalit Mahasammelans' would be organised in other parts of the state in the next few days. Prasad said that Congress's commitment toward the 'Dalit' community was evident when Channi was made the chief minister of Punjab.

Sources in the state party said that Channi could be roped in to address rallies in the constituencies, where SC votes were in sizable numbers. "He (Channi) may be asked to campaign on reserved seats in particular,'' said another senior UP Congress leader.

Sources said that Congress was also trying to rope in Bhim Army founder and SC leader Chandrashekhar alias Ravan, who wielded considerable influence over the community, especially in some western UP districts including Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar and some others.

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