From C K Nayak
NEW DELHI: The rout of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi Assembly polls has perhaps got a thing or two to do with the national capital’s dejected North East population whose sentiments were hurt ‘unintentionally’ by the saffron party.
The blunder in the BJP’s vision document describing people from North East as “immigrants” had angered the voters from the region especially the youths. There was no sign of dousing that feeling even after clarifications from the party which seemed to be half hearted.
Secondly a series of attacks on Churches right in the heart of the national capital had also agitated the voters from North East mainly from Christian dominated Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram. US President Barak Obama’s comment on religious tolerance in India only added salt to the wound.
The voice of the North East people in high-stake Delhi Assembly elections, though meant little in terms of vote share, but it did create sensation in the minds of the people. The attack on churches also brought in a sense of fear since the BJP is presumed to be a Hindu fundamentalist dominated party.
In Munirka, a posh area that has a sizeable population of North East people, the choice for most was between Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) even though both the parties, unlike the BJP, failed to make their mention in their respective manifestos.
The BJP manifesto specifically targets the day-to-day problems that people from the region face in Delhi such as hostel accommodation, effective law against discrimination, security and legal aid.