Brahmins + Muslims = Jitin Prasada’s UP Social Network

The serene and palatial Raza Library in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, that has a priceless collection of historical works in Sanskrit, Urdu, Hindi and other languages, including manuscripts of earliest translation of the Quran was buzzing with activity recently. This sudden flutter in this usually quiet yet invaluable repository was created by the visit of the MoS, HRD, Jitin Prasada.

While some may term it as any other ministerial duty providing lot of photo ops to both the party’s and official functionaries, this visit for Prasada was a part of a quiet, yet determined, social engineering journey he has undertaken since his appointment in the HRD. It’s his drive to string together a strong Brahmin-Muslim base for the party in the State that usually plays a key role in deciding who leads the country.

Urdu and Sanskrit seem to be his language and weapons to achieve this grand and potentially game-changing combination in UP. Urdu council meetings, powerful intellectual centres like Aligarh Muslim University, religious institutions and mushairas seem to be his new address.

From emphasising the need for reviving Urdu to doling out schemes that would make Urdu a viable career option, Prasada has been on a non-stop State-wide spree. A Brahmin himself, he has smartly avoided making any appease-ment appeals to emerge as a leader in only one particular community. He has also tactfully used his ministerial position to highlight the plight of Sanskrit with equally vociferous zeal. He chose to lay equal emphasis on Sanskrit and Urdu while speaking at Raza Library. He knew he couldn’t just embrace one and forget the other.

What makes Prasada’s efforts important for the party’s future in the coming Lok Sabha polls are the changed dynamics in UP. The BJP is witnessing a revival and emerging as a strong option for its traditional vote-bank again. Younger leaders, like Varun Gandhi, by hinting at contesting from Sultanpur, are moving closer to areas that earlier were pretty much safe Congress bastions like Amethi and Rae Bareli. Under Rajnath Singh they have a powerful Thakur strongman at the helm. BSP supremo Mayawati has kept her flock intact and even looks set to win back some who might have left her in the last elections. The Samajwadi Party’s honeymoon spell appears to be coming to an end as the strong Muslim-Yadav-Kurmi base they accumulated in the last Assembly elections already seem to be thinning. But the Congress campaign in the State appears in disarray with no clear focus. Recent opinion polls have even hinted at a worst possible show for the party.

In order to reverse this prognosis, Prasada has taken it upon himself to slowly but surely work out this winning formula for the party and give its campaign a new direction.

In an age when social media and tweets are the focus, winning Muslim and Brahmin votes through Sanskrit and Urdu look like an arduous task Prasada has assigned himself. He will continue to tirelessly navigate from one madrasa to a Sanskrit Sanstha though only time will tell if this social network wins more followers for his party.

Dr Amna Mirza is an Assistant Professor, University of Delhi.