KAUSHAMBI: Signalling a significant political message, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday invoked Apna Dal founder late Sone Lal Patel, terming him as a leader who spent his entire life for the uplift of poor and Dalits.
"Unhone (Sone Lal) apna poora jeevan gareeb, shoshit, pichhde aur dalit ke liye laga diya.., Modi said at an election rally in Manjhanpur assembly seat of Kaushambi. His observation came two days after Sone Lal's daughter and BJP's ally Apna Dal (S) chief Anupriya Patel lashed out at her elder sister Pallavi for pledging her party, Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), at the feet of Samajwadi Party. Pallavi is contesting against deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya from Sirathu assembly seat in Kaushambi on a SP ticket. Anupriya, who has a bitter feud with Pallavi had, in fact, been campaigning for Maurya against her sister.
The PM recalled how during his stint as Gujarat CM, the Apna Dal founder used to call on him and would show keen interest in knowing about the state's cooperative and dairy sector.
Modi's invocation of Sone Lal marked his deft bid to consolidate the politically significant Kurmi community, which plays a key electoral role in the area around Prayagraj and Kaushambi. In fact, it was with the support of Kurmis and other non-Yadav OBCs that Maurya won Sirathu for the first time for the BJP in 2012. The win bolstered his political stature even as BJP fielded him from the Phulpur parliamentary seat in 2014, which he won.
Remembering India's first home minister Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Modi hit out at the opposition, especially Samajwadi Party, for not giving due importance to the leader who took the boldest steps of national importance. "The whole world comes to Gujarat to see the Statue of Unity (of Sardar Patel) but the 'parivaarwadis' have no time for it. They enjoy abroad," he remarked, in yet another bid to corner SP while expediting his Kurmi outreach.
