After the caste conflict in Panwari, Agra in 1990, on one hand Dalit politics rose, while on the other hand Choudhary Babulal shone as a new face. Choudhary Babulal’s politics started from here.
From 22 to 25 June 1990, Agra was in discussions all over the country due to the incidents of Panwari and Akola. After this, politics changed completely. At the local level, the people removed the bigwigs of Jat politics from their hearts, while at the state level Dalit politics rose due to Dalit unity.
When BSP and BAMCEF established their roots in the name of Dalit respect, the resentment of both the parties towards Congress and Janata Dal remained. Even after the activism of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Congress could not make a place in the hearts of Dalits. Before the Panwari incident, the then Union Minister Choudhary. Faces like Ajay Singh, Badan Singh, Vijay Singh Rana were at the centre of Jat politics, but after the Panwari incident, Choudhary Babulal emerged like a comet as a strong leader of the Jats.
As a result of this, he won as an independent from Fatehpur Sikri. He became a minister, MP and then MLA. The old faces of the Jats were rejected by Jatland and they were never at the centre of politics again. In these 35 years, firebrand Babulal and Jat faces doing politics like him made a place for themselves.
BSP, BAMCEF won the hearts of Dalits
After the Panwari incident, the Dalit community showed unity and in the name of the fight to maintain respect, BAMCEF and BSP kept making a place in the hearts of Dalits. According to political analyst Rajiv Dixit, Kanshiram and Mayawati, leaders of the newly-formed BSP, kept the Panwari incident alive in the entire state and mentioned it in every meeting for their self-respect. The result of this was that BSP registered its strong presence in every assembly election after this. Congress suffered the most due to Dalits joining BSP. After this incident, Janata Dal implemented the Mandal Commission’s recommendations to reduce the distance from Dalits, but could not win their hearts.
Janta Dal and Congress suffered losses
The Panwari incident not only changed the politics of Uttar Pradesh, but also the politics of Janata Dal in power at the center and Congress in the opposition. Janata Dal became a victim of Jats’ anger after this incident, and even the visit of Congress leader and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi could not connect them with Dalits. Senior journalist Rajiv Saxena tells that former PM Rajiv Gandhi had reached Panwari village with his wife Sonia Gandhi by Taj Express. Panwari and Agra remained at the center of politics across the country for a month. The spark of the Panwari incident was felt in many districts of Rajasthan including Bharatpur.
Courtesy: Dheerendra Singh, Hindi News