BJP women's wing asked its workers to invite women from SC communities to their houses to share a meal.
In line with the BJP's attempts to maximise its electoral gains in seats dominated by the SC community in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP Mahila Morcha president Vanathi Srinivasan said the party's outreach to women voters will put social inclusion at the centre of its programmes.
Earlier this month, it asked over 8,000 of its workers to invite women from SC households to their houses and partake a meal together.
Under the Samrastha Ann (harmonious eating) programme, which was began as part of the BJP's celebration of social justice week from its foundation day on April 6 till BR Ambedkar's birth anniversary on April 14, the party's women's wing organised 8,444 such "sharing a meal" events across the country.
Under the programme, 73,597 women from SC communities were invited by BJP Mahila Morcha workers to their homes for a meal.
The highest participation was seen in Uttar Pradesh where nearly 18,000 women from different SC communities were made a part of these events.
Women's efforts in this area can be transformational, Ms Srinivasan noted, adding that changing the attitude of women when it comes to addressing caste discrimination can be a turning point in fostering social unity.
"And it has to include the kitchen. When we talk to men about social inclusion or shared meals, they can only do so much. But women can change the way families think, and make such efforts consistent by building stronger relationships with other women, and helping them out with their everyday challenges," she said.
Over the last few years, the BJP has been carefully crafting social alliances by incorporating different castes and sub-castes that political thinkers such as author Badri Narayan have called 'Samagra Hindutva' that works to integrate OBCs and SCs within the Hindutva fold through not just welfare schemes but also symbolic moves.
In 2014, the BJP won 40 SC and 26 ST seats -- the highest number of reserved seats won by any single largest party since 1991. The number increased to eight more in 2019, making it clear that the party not only managed to retain its support base built in 2014, but also expanded it in social groups which had traditionally voted differently.
"We have always seen such outreach efforts being made in slums where party workers go and eat in houses of SC communities. But these efforts get strengthened when families, particularly women open their kitchens and dining areas to people from lower castes. Women have a lot of say in these matters," Ms Srinivasan said.
She added that during the planning of these events, it was strictly communicated to the workers that none of these programmes should be hosted in wedding halls or community centres, but in houses, and family members should also be encouraged to be part of them.
"It was not easy convincing many of them, but in many cases, we found the children and youngsters of the households encouraging their mothers to do it," she added.
The party is also planning to put in place a rigorous training module for its women workers to be able to reach out to families and help them get benefits of government schemes. These trained women will form the network of "Kamal Mitras" whose role in the Lok Sabha campaign of the party is likely to be significant.
"We are hoping to train at least a lakh women workers in the next few months to spread awareness on the PM's schemes and help in facilitating them. Each one of them will undergo a 15-hour training module and get a certificate before she gets to work. Kamal Mitras will not only help in spreading the message of the PM but also help people get benefits without having to run here and there," Ms Srinivasan said.
'Alliance With AIADMK Important For 2024'
Ms Srinivasan, BJP MLA from Coimbatore (South), also spoke about speculations over the continuity of the BJP-AIADMK alliance in Tamil Nadu for the 2024 polls.
Only recently, AIADMK leaders led by its general secretary E Palaniswami met Home Minister Amit shah and BJP president JP Nadda. Ms Srinivasan said the alliance between the AIADMK and BJP in Tamil Nadu was important for achieving the BJP's national vision.
"This is not a fight among individuals or individual parties. The UPA alliance is intact in Tamil Nadu, and to counter that we need many hands. We need to send more MPs from here, and right from the beginning, BJP has had political alliances with parties that may not agree with it completely. National interest is paramount for us," she said.
She said the women of Tamil Nadu, who were with former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, wanted an inspirational leader that they can back. "...which is why I am confident they will rally after PM Modi. Women of the state have never liked the DMK, and the party too has only promoted women with political connections," she said.
For Karnataka, which is set to vote on May 10 and where the BJP is facing an aggressive Congress, Ms Srinivasan said the trust women voters have for the PM will help the party. All three major parties in Karnataka - BJP, Congress, and JD(S) - have fielded less than 7 per cent women candidates in their respective lists.
"Definitely, more participation of women in politics is needed. I keep telling women to scale up their winnability prospects. Connecting with the poor through Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana or e-shram or grassroots workers is easy and will not take a lot of resources. We as women have to find ways to surge ahead with our work," Ms Srinivasan said.