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A major event in Ayodhya on Sunday brought the Kurmi community’s political plight to the attention of the world as it awaits the Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj. Long feeling excluded from local politics, the community organized its own Maha Kumbh, a sizable gathering.
The community’s complaint that, in spite of their sizeable population, they have been underrepresented in Ayodhya’s legislative and parliamentary branches for almost 20 years served as the impetus for this event. Participating in the event were Kurmi community leaders from a variety of political parties, regardless of their affiliation, demonstrating the community’s solidarity and collective voice.
When BJP senior leader Vinay Katiyar won the Lok Sabha seat from Ayodhya-Faizabad in 1999, he became the last Kurmi leader to represent Ayodhya in the political landscape. Since then, the Kurmi OBC (Other Backward Classes) community has felt excluded, as no other leader has been able to obtain a political ticket in this constituency.
Since Ayodhya is set to hold a by-election for the Milkipur Assembly seat after SP leader Awadhesh Prasad won the Lok Sabha elections, there have been concerns raised about the event’s timing.
However, the organizers have vehemently denied any connection between the event and the by-election, describing the gathering as a manifestation of the community’s long-standing demand for political recognition, according to a report in The Indian Express.
Of the 1.8 million people living in the Faizabad district, the Kurmi make up about 238,000 voters, or 15% of the total population. The community, which makes up a sizable portion of the local population, is primarily agricultural by nature. About 50,000 people attended the program on Sunday, which took place in the Kasinath village, 5 km off the Lucknow-Faizabad highway. The first-of-its-kind event highlighted the community’s longing for Ayodhya’s political recognition.
No other Kurmi leader from this region has received a political ticket since Vinay Katiyar’s victory, according to the event attendees, who expressed their distress. No district president from any of the major political parties has served the community, despite its sizable membership. One of the community’s top concerns is still the need for Kurmi representation in local and regional politics.
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