Disgruntled over the Centre's new farm laws, on Saturday, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) convener and MP from Nagaur, Hanuman Beniwal, announced a split from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Claiming that 'no alliance is bigger than farmer's dignity', the Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) from Nagaur, Hanuman Beniwal quit its ties with NDA in a dramatic way while addressing a farmer's rally, in Shahjahanpur, near Jaipur- Delhi highway. Registering its support for farmers’ issue, he had also resigned from three parliament committees a week ago.
After Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)'s exit in September this year, Beniwal's party is the second to quit NDA over a disagreement on the farm laws. Eyeing the long-term political mileage in Rajasthan as a farmer and a Jat leader, Beniwal in his address said, "The three laws rolled by the Central government are anti farmers. I have been presenting my point time and again. I wanted to burn down the farm law bill inside the parliament but I was stopped from entering."
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A win-win situation for the RLP in the next polls
The 48-year-old leader knows that his exit from the NDA won't have any effect on the Modi government's stability. However, breaking away ties with its ally BJP is a win-win situation for him in two ways; firstly it will boost his personal image as a farmer and a Jat leader in the state. And secondly, withdrawing its support to BJP will help him and his party to present a formidable third force in the state.
Beniwal who protrays himself as the son of a farmer, thus striking a chord with the youngsters and farmers present at the protest. said, "I am first a farmer, a farmer's son and later a politician. Me and my party is committed to farmer welfare and will support the community and protest along with them till the bills are rolled back". Implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report in the interest of farmers is the major demand cited by him.
Political analysts see Beniwal's exit from the NDA as not affecting BJP in the state, but instead, as an opportunity that will help him in the long run to emerge as a Jat stalwart and farmer leader in the state. "There is no loss for Beniwal. He already enjoyed the support of the Jat community and farmers in the Merwada belt of Rajasthan. He was popular among the youngsters. Now, farmers too will connect with him more, especially youngsters, who follow him in that belt. Also, there will be an opportunity for him to fill the vacuum for a third force in the state", Om Saini, a senior political analyst told Outlook.
Interestingly, the media attention that Beniwal has garnered is disproportionate to his actual political strength. The RLP which was formed in 2018, has three assembly seats (Merta, Khinvsar, and Bhopalgarh) in the state. Next year, in the 2019 general election, it won one Lok Sabha seat from Nagaur in alliance with BJP and later in the year also won by-polls for an assembly seat in Nagaur.
Challenges ahead
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Considering the next assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan, Hanuman Beniwal who has been an open detractor of chief minister Ashok Gehlot and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, will have to face challenges in absence of BJP's support. While there are slim chances of Beniwal joining the Congress, analysts believe he may concentrate on his own party looking at the caste equation in western Rajasthan where he enjoys support.
"In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Beniwal found a third place in Nagaur after BJP's CR Chaudhry and Congress's Jyoti Mirdha. But things were different in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. His alliance with BJP ahead of the polls helped to sweep Nagaur as there was only Congress candidate he had to defeat. Also with BJP's help, he could tap both Jat as well as the Rajput community in the belt. Now, without BJP's support in the next election, winning from Nagaur will not be easy for him. Nagaur seat has traditionally been Congress's backyard with Mirdha stalwarts winning it most of the times", Saini added.
Reacting to RLP's exit from the BJP, state president Satish Poonia told Outlook, "The numbers won't affect us at the state level. But it is going to be RLP's loss who won in 2019 with the help of BJP's support".
In the 200-member Rajasthan assembly, Congress has 105 MLAs, BJP-71, RLP-3, CPI (M)-2, BTP-2, RLD-1, and 13 legislators are independents and 3 seats are vacant, where by-polls will be held soon. Interestingly Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) which has two seats has also withdrawn its support to its ally Congress a few days ago. The BTP had accused Congress of cheating and supporting the BJP in Panchayat polls in Dungarpur.
