MP politicians in fear of anti-reservationists

BJP chief Amit Shah's scheduled "feast with farmers" in Ujjain, originally scheduled for September 12, has been cancelled fearing disruption by upper-caste anti-reservationists.

The party has also cancelled an OBC convention that was planned for September 10 in Satna for the same reason.

With barely two months left for the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, a fear of upper-caste fury has been stalking politicians across the party spectrum. The politicians, however, do not complain, nor do they demand action against the petitioners.

They are living in fear of being mobbed, shown black flags and even attacked.

Anti-reservationist youths, claiming allegiance to little-known organisations, have been materialising without warning in streets across the state with black flags, particularly in the Gwalior-Chambal region, forcing politicians to run for cover.

Few politicians have escaped the angry protests held against the SC/ST (prevention of atrocities) Act, recently passed by the Supreme Court to alter the Supreme Court ruling in the matter.

A shoe was hurled at Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan last week; state Congress chief Kamal Nath was almost mobbed twice and escaped only under police protection; while Union and state ministers and BJP MPs and MLAs were shown black flags.

Politicians stayed indoors during a Bharat Bandh that was called for by anti-reservationists on September 7.

While a fledgling political outfit called SAPAKS Samaj party is on the forefront of the protest, lumpen elements seem to have hijacked the stir.

SAPAKS, or Samanya Pichhda Varg Alpsankhyak Karmachari Sangathan, essentially an outfit of government employees, is on the defensive.

The organisation's convenor Hiralal Trivedi said it has no plans to disrupt rallies by big leaders like Amit Shah or Rahul Gandhi.

SAPAKs, however, seems to have little control over the upper-caste youths threatening politicians.

The BJP and the Congress have been blaming each other for inciting anti-reservationist sentiments, without criticising the protesters themselves.