AAP planning separate 'Dalit Manifestos' for Goa, Punjab and Gujarat

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party is planning to release separate 'Dalit Manifestos' for the three states where it plans to contest assembly elections. The move comes at a time when politics surrounding the Dalit identity is yet again gaining momentum in the aftermath of the thrashing of Dalit youth by 'cow protection' vigilantes in Gujarat's Una.

Party leaders told ET that in Punjab, which has India's largest population of people born into the Scheduled Castes, the AAP will release its manifesto for Dalits in the 'second or third week of September' and this will likely be followed by similar launches in Gujarat and Goa in due course.

The AAP has been conducting a state-wide door-to-door campaign during the past month in Punjab, said Durgesh Pathak, who is in charge of AAP's national organisation building. "Of the approximately 15 lakh households, we have so far reached nine-and-ahalf lakh within a month." The recent events in Gujarat are likely to be highlighted during this outreach campaign when the party takes to Interactive Voice Response (IVR), WhatsApp and other such media.

National convener Arvind Kejriwal recently visited Gujarat's Una town and alleged that the violence had the 'consent' of the BJP leadership. Such attacks against the saffron party would be used in Punjab's campaign, where Dalit votes matter even more than Gujarat and Goa. "We have also announced a special investigations team to be set up for probing attacks on Dalits. Many other concrete promises like this would be announced in the manifesto in September," said Pathak.