Minutes after the former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh was declared Bharat Ratna, Jayant Chaudhary, the grandson of the farmer leader tweeted, “Dil Jeet Liya” (You have won the hearts). He also retweeted the tweet of PM Modi where he showered praise on the Jat icon and said, “He dedicated his life to the welfare of farmers... whether as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh or Home Minister of the country, and even as MLA, he always gave impetus to nation-building. He stood against the Emergency (and) his dedication to our farmer brothers and sisters is inspiring.”
While Bharat Ratna has been mostly weaponized by different parties to garner political gains, declaration of Singh’s name holds special significance in the current electoral context. Singh was both a Jat and a farmer leader. In the recent past, BJP’s relation with both the communities have not been very well. On one hand, the year-long farmers’ protests- mostly led by farmers from Punjab and Haryana made the ruling party uncomfortable; on the other, the wrestlers’ protest and subsequent comments by the accused Brij Bhushan, a senior BJP leader, made it worse.
In this backdrop, the political analysts think that the decision to confer Bharat Ratna on Singh could be considered as a signaling to the community. However, the efforts of BJP to tap on the memories of Singh is not new. Last year, during his 121st birth anniversary, the UP CM Yogi Adityanath inaugurated a 51-feet long statue of Singh at Moradabad that was founded by Akhil UP Jat Mahasabha in Moradabad district. Prior to that, while addressing a Kisan Maha Sammelan event, the CM even referred to him as “freedom fighter, good administrator and a great leader of farmers” - adding that the new UP bows down to the farmers.
If this is one political clause for wooing the Jats in western UP, the other is the BJP’s continuous efforts to take Rastriya Lokdal Party (RLD)- founded by Singh’s son Ajit Singh on board ahead of the Loksabha elections. In 2019, when RLD fought the elections as a part of Mahagathbandhan- comprising SP and BSP, the party lost all the three seats they fought. However, still the party has a formidable support among the Jat farmers in the western UP.
The media reports suggest that the RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary has been in talks with the BJP for the last few days. Earlier the party was though part of the INDIA alliance, things have changed in the recent past. The reports have also mentioned that the BJP is willing to give four Lok Sabha seats to the party. Though nothing is yet confirmed as Jayant Chowdhury has maintained a strategic silence, the political observers think that the shift is now a matter of time.
However, the comment of Chaudhary that comes just after the declaration of Bharat Ratna where he praises PM Modi saying “What previous governments could not do till today has been completed by PM Modi's vision”, shows that the situation is ripe for the party to get back with their old allies.
The relation between these two parties were strained before 2016 elections only when the UP BJP Chief denied taking RLD back to the coalition. It further went off the road in 2019 when RLD became a part of Mahagathbandhan and turned worse after the farmers’ protests in 2021. Ajit Singh’s unequivocal support to the farmers was a matter of concern for the BJP.
The strained past seems not to overweigh the recognition of former PM that RLD supremo thinks was much awaited. Notably, PM Modi’s declaration of Bharat Ratna to former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur was followed by Nitish Kuma jumping the boat. Will conferring of the highest award to Singh pull RLD back to the NDA fold?
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