03.07.24.UT NEWS.Untouchables News.CHENNAI.26.

From Leaders...

*Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj – The King who Revolted against the Brahminical Supremacy*

Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj (Shahu Maharaj) was one of those few Princely State heads who genuinely tried to expand the horizon of the movement of Shudra and untouchables for social justice and human rights. He not only promoted it but made it sustainable and long-lasting, in Maharashtra and beyond.

He was born on 26 June, 1874 as Yashwant Ghatge. He was adopted by the Queen of Kolhapur, Maharani Anandibai on 17 March, 1884 and named as Shahu. He ascended the throne of Kolhapur on 2 April, 1894.

What he noticed immediately was that the state’s affairs were run most shabbily by the Brahmin employees occupying all positions of power in his state and also in the local bodies. Overcoming this monopoly was his immediate priority. Literacy and education had percolated well across all Brahmins by virtue of their monopoly on shastras and knowledge. They had fortified their position in the administration since the times of Peshwas. The non-Brahmins had poor representation in education and resultantly in the administration. They were confined to the lower positions as guards or messengers only.

He realized that the only obvious way out was to spread awareness about education among the non-Brahmins, to facilitate their education and employment in the state services, in the governance. He personally started vigorous state-wide tours to create awareness among his subjects.

Shahu Maharaj declared scholarships for suitable non-Brahmin students, built hostels at various places and supported them with state funding. He established a ‘Maratha Students Institute’ on 18 April, 1901 and helped it with funds for the construction of school infrastructure. Simultaneously, he established hostels for the students from different communities during his rule. For example, in 1901-04 he built a Jain Hostel, in 1906 a Mohammedan hostel, in 1908 a Miss Clarke Hostel for untouchables, in 1917 a Veer Shaiva hostel for Lingayat community, in 1921 a Sant Namdeo hostel, etc. He supported these hostels with regular grants for sustained education of the students from all non-Brahmin communities.

He financially supported hostels and education even in British territories beyond his own state of Kolhapur. He was very generous with the education of untouchables and Shudras. After their education, he employed them in his state’s services on important posts as per their suitability. He issued charters to the suitable students from non-Brahmin communities to practice in his courts. Such a proactive approach unafraid of Brahminical supremacy from the Maharaja himself instilled a sense of confidence among the untouchables and other Shudra communities. Already awakened, these communities got a new boost.

He did not hurt any Brahmin, and nor did he ignore any religious rituals. Rather, he was the most devout Hindu. He would observe all the rituals and customs like a commoner and personally perform many rituals every day. He was a completely down-to-earth person without any pretext of his royal position. His humility, though, was misunderstood by Brahmins as his weakness and they would indirectly undermine his position as a Maharaja of the state.

When Brahmins went to the extremes, he seized an opportunity to teach them a lesson. The incident that took place reverberated for many years in Maharashtra as ‘Vedokta Controversy’ (relating to rights to hear Vedic hymns).‘Vedokta Controversy’

It was fairly early in the rule of Shahu Maharaj that the Brahmin priest of the royal family refused to do ‘Vedokta’ for Shahu Maharaj. Vedokta is a practice of reciting Vedic hymns by the priest for the worshiper while performing rituals. In 1900, on the auspicious occasion of Kartik Ekadashi Shahu Maharaj went for a customary bath with his family in the river Panchganga. As was the custom he reached there well before the sunrise. His royal family priest was supposed to have reached even before him and was ready for reciting the hymns as has been the tradition.

But the priest reached late and stood still. He was supposed to have taken bath and after that recited hymns while Maharaja and his family taking a dip in the river. Shahu Maharaj, though angry at such arrogance of the Brahmin priest, politely reminded him of his duties.

But the Brahmin priest replied ‘Maharaj, though you are a king, you are Shudra varna. Hence you are not entitled to hear the Vedic hymns. You can hear only Puranic hymns which I can recite without taking a bath. Reciting Puranic hymns without taking bath is permitted in the Sastras.’ At the top of it, the Brahmin priest made a pretext saying ‘It’s cold here’ for not taking a bath.

Hearing these insults, Maharaja’s guards and family members had got so much annoyed that they had almost killed the Brahmin priest. But Maharaja pacified them. He completed his auspicious river bath without Vedokta and returned to the palace.

The Brahmin priest continued his arrogance and stopped Vedokta in all family rituals. He would insist on reciting Puranic hymns only for any ritual for Shahu Maharaj.

The royal family priest was appointed in 1889 for performing all rituals on a hereditary basis. He was awarded substantial land for doing these duties. This sudden change of attitude by the Brahmin priest was annoying for Shahu Maharaj. Clearly it was insubordination to the ruler himself. Shahu Maharaj was left with no option but to dismiss this Brahmin priest from the position of royal family priest and appoint another well-qualified Brahmin in his place. So, he did appoint another priest, named Narayan Bhat Sevekari. *The king had revolted against Brahminical supremacy!*

The dismissed Brahmin priest complained to the religious Hindu body in Kolhapur which was obviously in the monopoly of Brahmins. They made an appeal to the Jagadguru Shankaracharya to advise Shahu Maharaj to reappoint the dismissed priest and get only Puranic hymns heard as he being a Shudra is not entitled to Vedokta.

All mainstream newspapers from Kolhapur and other parts in Maharashtra aggressively stood by the side of the dismissed priest. Shahu Maharaj had stirred up the hornet’s nest by proactively promoting non-Brahmin communities in his state. Shahu Maharaj did what the British and Mughal empires consciously avoided to do! Brahmin-owned newspapers branded Shahu Maharaj as anti-religion, anti-Brahmin with imaginary stories with nasty details.

The disgruntled Brahmin lobby expelled Narayan Bhat Sevekari from the community. On the occasion of the great Hindu festival of Navaratri, when Sevekari went for worship in Shree Ambabai (Mahalaxmi) Temple, he was prevented by the rival Brahmins from entry. Apprehending disturbance from two groups of Brahmins, Shahu Maharaj ordered a ban on entry of both the groups. The disgruntled group of Brahmins took the matter to the court of the Political Agent of the British in Kolhapur who tried to impress upon Shahu Maharaj to compromise with the warring Brahmins.

But Shahu Maharaj had decided to take the battle to its logical ends. Brahminical newspapers threatened to take the matter before the British parliament. To counter them, the Satyashodhak Samaj which was established by Mahatma Jotiba Phule in the past century got revived to create public awareness against Brahminical supremacy. Shahu Maharaj reminded people how the cunning Brahmins had refused Vedokta in the coronation ceremony of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja, the founder of the Maratha empire; and how he had to ‘import’ Gaga Bhatta, a Brahmin scholar from Varanasi for his ceremony. Shahu Maharaj used this opportunity to reject Brahminical supremacy for Marathas and other non-Brahmin Hindus. Rejecting the religious authority of Shankaracharya himself, he went on to appoint a young learned Maratha as a new authority which he called ‘Kshatra Jagadguru’ for non-Brahmins.

*Shahu Maharaj vs Lokmanya Tilak*

The Vedokta controversy created a wide rift between Shahu Maharaj and Lokmanya Tilak. Tilak known for his orthodoxy sided with Brahmins and wrote against Shahu Maharaj unrelentingly through his newspaper “Kesari”.

Tilak’s followers had formed an overtly social club called “Shivaji Club” in Kolhapur earlier in 1895. Initially, it was meant for a national movement of freedom. But later when Shahu Maharaj was seen promoting non-Brahmin education and their overall welfare, “Shivaji Club” rallied behind Brahmins. It worked to defeat the schemes of Shahu Maharaj and tarnish his image as being anti-religion.

In the initial years, Shahu Maharaj had supported the activities of this ‘Shivaji Club’ as it used the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and had also initiated the celebration of his birth anniversary as a major festival. But he snapped his support when he noticed that the Club activities were used to gain the support of non-Brahmins in the name of a national movement but actually working against the interests of Bahujans. “Shivaji Club” of Tilak was completely exposed by Shahu Maharaj.

Tilak used every opportunity to confront Shahu Maharaj. Tilak would challenge the decisions of Shahu Maharaj in the courts, even before the Privy Council. Shahu Maharaj was staunchly in favor of non-Brahmin depressed masses and Tilak for Brahminical supremacy while also claiming to be fighting for Swaraj.

Brahminical newspapers created an image of Tilak as pious, principled, truthful, nationalist, freedom fighter, etc. whereas Shahu Maharaj was branded as evil, unscrupulous, irreligious, British-stooge. Shahu Maharaj was not against all Brahmins but only against the Brahminical supremacy which had brought misfortune on the nation. The liberal Brahmin leaders like Gokhale, Ranade and Agarkar knew this distinction. These leaders supported Shahu Maharaj.

Tilak contrived to defame Shahu Maharaj as a British stooge. Shahu Maharaj had close coordination with the Governor of Mumbai, Lord Willingdon. Both shared their views on a variety of issues of people’s welfare. Their correspondence naturally touched upon the current political, social, and religious developments. It also discussed the role of various political leaders. Mr. Tilak being prominent among all, also figured in their correspondence.

Since the political agent of the British was dragged into the Vedokta controversy by Tilak’s followers, Shahu Maharaj also shared his views about Tilak’s role and its adverse impact on overcoming the monopoly of a particular caste.

The common thread of their discussion was that the belligerence of established castes will have to be brought into check to promote the welfare of the masses.

Someone from Tilak’s camp stole that correspondence from Shahu Maharaj. Tilak ran a series of articles titled “Our Chhatrapati, the Enemy of Swaraj” under the name of his close confidante N. C. Kelkar in 1922. Tilak’s smearing campaign to depict Shahu Maharaj as a toy in the hands of the British was successful for a while. Tilak was revengeful against Shahu Maharaj only because he did not accept caste supremacy and worked for the upliftment of all his subjects.

Shahu Maharaj had a great connection with his common subjects. He was an unassuming, pro-active king. It is well-known fact that he himself reached out to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar when he came to know about his high education from America. He went unannounced to a tiny chawl in Poyabawadi, Parel, Mumbai where Ambedkar lived in room number 50 on the second floor. Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj shouted from below the building calling ‘Ambedkar, Oh Ambedkar’.

The revolutionary king had met the king of revolution. And, the rest is history!

🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘..ANIL RANGARI.

From,News paper..

BIHAR DALIT NEWS NEWS STATE

Bihar News: Nitish government reached Supreme Court to challenge the decision of the High Court, demand to increase reservation to 65 percent

POSTED ON JULY 3, 2024

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On June 20, Patna High Court had canceled the law of Bihar government giving 65 percent reservation to Scheduled Castes, Tribes, Extremely Backward and Other Backward Classes. The court had declared it unconstitutional.

Nitish government has knocked the door of the Supreme Court. A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the decision of Patna High Court to stop 65 percent reservation. Patna High Court had canceled the amended reservation laws in Bihar. Against this decision, Bihar government lawyer Manish Singh filed a petition and demanded to increase the quota for Dalits, tribals and backward classes from 50 percent to 65 percent.

Tejashwi Yadav had made these allegations

The opposition was constantly alleging that the National Democratic Alliance government did not want to increase the reservation in Bihar. BJP wants to play with the reservation. A few days ago, Tejashwi Yadav had said that we already suspected that the people of BJP would work to stop the reservation under any circumstances. We had also said in the elections that the people of BJP are anti-reservation. Amidst these allegations of the opposition, the NDA government’s move to the Supreme Court is being considered as a reply to the opponents.

On June 20, the Patna High Court had given the verdict

On June 20, the Patna High Court had repealed the law giving 65% reservation to the Scheduled Castes, Tribes, Extremely Backward and Other Backward Classes of the Bihar Government. The Patna High Court had declared it unconstitutional. That is, now the Scheduled Castes, Tribes, Extremely Backward and Other Backward Classes will not get 65% reservation in educational institutions and government jobs. The old system of 50 percent reservation has come into force.

On November 21, 2023, the Bihar government had published the gazette

The Bihar government had increased the reservation scope to 65 percent through the Reservation Amendment Bill. Add the 10 percent reservation given to the economically weaker section, which will give the benefit of a total of 75 percent reservation. On November 21, 2023, the Bihar government had published the gazette regarding this. After this, SC/ST, OBC and OBC were getting the benefit of 65% reservation in educational institutions and jobs.

......?

From UT NEWS..

1)It is only vote Politics.No need to go to Supreme Court.Supreme court only introduced the cap 50%.Then why they are willing to go to S.Court.

2)In the parliament if the amendment Bill is passed to increase the reservation from 50 % 65%to and if included in 9th schedule no court will interfere.

....

MADHYA PRADESH NEWS STATE

Upper caste man abandons Dalit wife after two years of marriage

POSTED ON JULY 3, 2024

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A priest has gone missing in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur city after nearly seven years of marrying a Scheduled Caste woman. The couple had a love marriage against the wishes of their families. They also have a child.

Both their families did not approve of the marriage

The woman’s family also did not approve of his work as a priest near Gwarighat in the city. The man, identified as Dipanshu Tiwari, mysteriously disappeared around two months ago. Since then, his distraught wife Rashmi started searching for him in every possible way.

She also approached the police several times, but to no avail. Rashmi has also claimed that her husband’s family got him married to another woman without her knowledge and sent her to another place.

Rashmi further claimed that Tiwari married her two years ago as per Hindu rituals. She said that Tiwari has no right to marry another woman without divorcing her. Despite this, Tiwari’s family got her married again, she alleged. The woman further said that Tiwari’s elder brother and parents used to insult and abuse her because of her caste and wanted to separate her from her husband.

‘The matter is being investigated’

After making several rounds of the police station, Additional Superintendent of Police Suryakant Sharma has assured her of all possible help. He said the matter is being investigated and action will be taken accordingly.

(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by LatestLog staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)

TELANGANA..DALIT NEWS NATIONAL

Dalit ZPTC denied entry in Karimnagar ZP meeting

POSTED ON JULY 3, 2024

BRS ZPTC from Jammikunta, Sriram Swamy, had turned up for the meeting by wearing a T-shirt on which he had written ‘Release Dalit Bandhu amount immediately’.

BY TELANGANA TODAY

Dalit ZPTC denied entry in Karimnagar ZP meeting

BRS ZPTC from Jammikunta, Sriram Swamy, had turned up for the meeting by wearing a T-shirt on which he had written ‘Release Dalit Bandhu amount immediately’.

Karimnagar: Denial of entry to a dalit ZPTC into the Zilla Parishad general body meeting created a flutter as members raised objections to the move.

Registering his protest against the State government’s delay in the release of the second phase of Dalit Bandhu amount to beneficiaries, BRS ZPTC from Jammikunta, Sriram Swamy, had turned up for the meeting by wearing a T-shirt on which he had written ‘Release Dalit Bandhu amount immediately’. When he arrived at the ZP office, the police prevented him at the cellar itself and denied him entry into the meeting hall on the first floor.

Noisy scenes witnessed at Karimnagar Zilla Parishad meeting

Knowing about the incident, all the members raised objections to the attitude of the police and registered their protest by standing on their feet. Members have a right to protest on different issues and authorities have no right to deny members’ rights, they said and demanded the ZP authorities to allow the ZPTC in without any conditions.

Responding to the issue, Huzurabad MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy said it was not proper on part of the authorities to prevent a dalit ZPTC from attending the ZP meeting. In order to change the lives of the dalit community, former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had launched the Dalit Bandhu scheme and implemented it in saturation mode in Huzurabad constituency. Out of 18,000 units, about 3,500 units have not been provided the second installment amount. He wanted the Collector to explain the reasons for the delay to the ZP.

Collector Pamela Satpathy said they had got instructions from the State government to maintain status-quo on the Dalit Bandhu scheme till further instructions. Stating that the government had called for a report, she said they had submitted a detailed report to the government.

Responding to the Collector, the MLA said it was unfair on the part of the State government to give instructions to the Collector to stop the Dalit Bandhu scheme. However, the Collector replied that she had not said that the government asked the district administration to stall the Dalit Bandhu scheme, but to maintain status-quo till further instructions.

 UTTAR PRADESH

Lucknow News: Five people sentenced for beating Dalit woman

POSTED ON JULY 3, 2024

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Shravasti. Kalta Devi wife of Karai, a Scheduled Caste woman resident of village Domai of Sirsia police station area, was beaten up 13 years ago. During this time, Radheshyam and Itwari, Ram Paras, Nanke and Shesh Ram of the same village beat up the woman using caste-related abuses. During this, the accused also threatened her life.

The police had registered a case against the five accused and sent the chargesheet to the court. While disposing of this, on Tuesday, Special Judge SC ST Avnish Gautam convicted the accused and sentenced Radheshyam and Itwari to one year simple imprisonment and a fine of three thousand rupees each. Ordered to undergo two weeks additional punishment in case of non-payment of fine. Ram Paras, Nanke and Shesh Ram have been sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of eight thousand rupees each.

One year rigorous imprisonment in case of assault

Shravasti. Four years ago, Bhinga Kotwali police had registered a case against Koyaliya son Rashid, resident of Gulra Fatwa of Sirsia police station area, in the case of assault on a government employee and sent a chargesheet to the court. On Tuesday, Special POCSO Court Judge Nirdosh Kumar held the accused Koyaliya guilty and sentenced him to one year of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of one thousand rupees.

HARYANA MANUAL SCAVENGING NEWS STATE

Sewer cleaning or fight with death! Despite the law and the Supreme Court order, ‘manual scavenging’ continues in Karnal

POSTED ON JULY 2, 2024

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The officials responsible for the city’s cleanliness system are not even averse to getting the sanitation workers to do inhuman work. Their lives are being risked for sewer cleaning. We are talking about Karnal Municipal Corporation, where the sanitation workers are being made to clean the sewerage with bare hands without safety equipment. Getting down into the sewerage filled with poisonous gases without safety equipment is like a fight with death.

According to the ‘Manual Scavenging Act 2013’ and the Supreme Court’s October 2023 order, it is a punishable offense to get any sanitation worker down into the sewer-septic tank without safety equipment. Despite this, the officials of Karnal Municipal Corporation are turning a blind eye. The workers are forced to bear the brunt of this. Those who clean the sewer without safety equipment are exposed to various poisonous gases. These include hydrogen disulfide, carbon oxide, ammonia and methane. Exposure to these gases can cause vision loss, respiratory problems and even seizures. Hydrogen disulfide gas can also cause death due to suffocation.

Vice Chairman of Safai Karamchari Aayog Azad Singh said that cleaning of sewerage manually is completely banned. If anyone does this, inform the Safai Karamchari Aayog, strict legal action will be taken. He said that now machines have arrived for cleaning sewerage. Municipal Corporation’s XEN Satish said that cleaning of sewerage lines is done by machines, if ever needed, then the Safai Karamchari goes with the operator with safety equipment. He said that there is no information about getting work done in the sewer manually, it will be found out.

19 lives lost in one year

“Getting sewerage cleaned manually by Safai Karamchari or anyone else is illegal. The person who gets this done, be it a contractor or an officer, can be punished. Safai Karamcharis are compelled to go down into the sewers and clean them with their hands, they have to do this inhuman work for their livelihood. Due to fear, they are unable to ask for safety equipment. 19 deaths have occurred in Haryana in one year while doing this work. – Rajkumar Bohat, State Convenor, National Safai Karamchari Andolan

 UTTAR PRADESH

Taliban punishment given to Dalit youth in Fatehpur, nails pulled out with pliers and attempt to bury alive

POSTED ON JULY 2, 2024

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Irshad Siddiqui, Fatehpur: A heart-wrenching incident has come to light from Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh. Here, the goons gave Taliban punishment to a Dalit laborer working in a tent house. The youth has been admitted to the district hospital in critical condition. In this case, the victim party has given a complaint letter to the police. According to the information, Pooja Kori, daughter of Santosh Kumar Kori, resident of Panchampur Majra Jagdishpur village of Bakewar police station area, told in the complaint letter given to the police that her brother Shivam Kori (19) had gone to Ramesh Tent House on the night of June 30 to install lights.

During this, 4 people including Anand Tiwari and Lodh Tiwari residents of Bakewar along with two other unknown people started abusing Shivam using casteist words. When Shivam protested against this, the above goons attacked the youth with an iron rod. The bullies did not stop here and crossed all limits of cruelty during this time. They pulled out Shivam’s toenails with a pliers and left him bleeding and in a dying state. In this incident, the victim’s left leg was badly damaged.

The bullies were taking him to bury him alive

Not only this, the family members allege that after this the bullies forcibly made Shivam sit on the bike and were taking him to bury him alive. On getting information about the incident, the family members reached the spot and on seeing them, the accused left Shivam in an unconscious state and fled from the spot. After this, the family members hurriedly admitted the youth in the district hospital in a critical condition. When they tried to contact SO Bakewar and DSP Bindki in the matter, the CUG number kept showing off. On the other hand, in this matter, Additional SP Vijay Shankar Mishra says that no such incident is in their knowledge.

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Young Dalit leader who overcame setback to script poll history

ByUrvashi Dev Rawal

Jul 03, 2024 06:16 AM IST

Sanjna Jatav's political journey from defeat to victory in Rajasthan symbolizes Congress's revival. Her rooted campaign won against BJP in Bharatpur.

New Delhi/ Jaipur In the winter of 2023, Sanjna Jatav was at a difficult crossroads. Just 25, the mother of two had just suffered a narrow defeat in the assembly elections in Rajasthan after being trounced by the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate by 409 votes. Days later, even as the cultivator family was reeling from the loss, her father died. Heartbroken and bereaved, with two toddlers to take care of, it seemed curtains for Jatav’s still-fledgling political career.

Sanjana Jatav has been elected as Congress MP from Bharatpur. (Arvind Yadav/HT photo)

Six months on, the contrast couldn’t be sharper as Jatav ascended the steps of the new Parliament building this week, her head shielded from the scalding sun by the canopy of her sky blue saree, her mother and mother-in-law standing in the background.

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Walking down to the lectern that day to take oath as one of the youngest members of Parliament, she could scarcely believe what the last six months had brought her – a parliamentary ticket from the Congress, a campaign in the BJP stronghold that forced chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to respond with a roadshow, and erasing a 300,000 vote deficit with a 17 percentage point vote share swing to register an improbable victory.

“If it happened, it all happened because of ordinary people. They’re the ones who funded me, they’re the ones who defeated the BJP,” she said.

The Dalit woman’s achievement was representative of the Congress’s revival in a state where it had drawn a blank in the last two general elections, and her rooted campaign and youthful spontaneity – seen in the impromptu dance she broke into the moment results were announced on June 4 – part of why the opposition party improved its strike rate against the BJP in head-to-head contests from 9% in 2019 to 28% now. Most of all, the Opposition’s narrative that the BJP will effect changes in the Constitution struck a chord with Dalit people such as Jatav, helping her consolidate that important base. “The BJP had thought they could win on the basis of PM Modi’s name alone. But the ordinary man, the ordinary Dalit was angry, and it reflected in the result.”

Born in 1998 in Bharatpur district, Jatav married police constable Kaptan Singh at 18 in Alwar district’s Kathumar town. That year was also her first foray into politics when the village panchayat seat Singh’s father held was reserved for women. Jatav held a graduate degree in arts, and was a fresh young face. She won the election by 4,000 votes. “It was a big deal for me, coming from a small family of farmers,” she said.

Jatav had joined the Congress shortly before the election, and the muck of mainstream politics didn’t leave her untouched. Alarmed by her rise, a rival leader dug a deep pit outside her house and registered a complaint against Singh with the Rajasthan Police. “They started troubling her family,” said Congress leader Bhupendra Gurjar.

In 2022, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra passed through Rajasthan, giving Jatav an opportunity to sink deeper roots in the party organisation. She helped prepare for the yatra in Alwar; she also participated in Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s Ladki Hun Lad Sakti Hun campaign, holding meetings and rallies and bringing many young girls into the party fold.

During the yatra, Sanjana met Priyanka Gandhi, who was impressed with her work. She told Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, a former Congress MP from Alwar, to groom Jatav, said a senior Congress leader. She got the ticket for the 2023 assembly elections but lost.

“Woh mushkil daur tha (it was a difficult period). I was jolted. An election is a big thing for an ordinary person. It was very difficult to get out of it for 2-3 months. My father’s absence rankled,” she said.

Fighting another election was not on the cards at the point. “We didn’t even have enough money,” her husband Singh said.

But politics was slowly creeping back into her life.When the Congress was deciding candidates for the Bharatpur Lok Sabha seat, local leaders thought Jatav could be a fresh face and a strong candidate against the BJP, which had also dropped its incumbent.

When she started campaigning, Jatav realised she had a chance. “The public wanted a change from the high-handed attitude of the previous winners,” she said.

Bharatpur was a prestige seat for the BJP because it is the home district of chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, and the National Democratic Alliance held seven of the eight assembly segments that make up the constituency. “We knew that our USP was rootedness so we went to every village, every home even as our opponents were confident that the PM’s name would make him win. Everywhere people told us they didn’t have employment or amenities such as water.”

Throughout the campaign, they did three things – keep the focus on local amenities and lack of opportunities in Bharatpur to not allow the BJP to make the election national, talk about the Constitution and the perceived threat to protections for marginalised groups, and the Congress as a genuine alternative in a state where the chief minister is facing some internal dissension. “We are poor people but people themselves arranged vehicles for us. People were distressed and they made their voices heard,” she said.

Life has come full circle for the family since June 4. Yet, Jatav finds herself balancing her old persona of a rural woman with her new identity as one of India’s 543 parliamentarians. “These few days in Delhi are only an intermission. I wake up at 4am everyday to feed the buffaloes, finish household chores, then cook for the children and get them ready, before tending to the fields,” she said.

As she spoke, her four-year-old sauntered in from another room, hungry. Quickly coddling him, Jatav turned to her husband. “We are ordinary people. Our friends are ordinary. Our relatives are ordinary. We didn’t have a single important person in our phone books,” she said. “But, you know, such ordinary people are 90% of the country.” Jatav nodded in agreement: “That’s why we won.”