Dalit rights and political tensions: Why is Mevani at odds with Congress leadership?

While I have known Jignesh Mevani, one of the dozen-odd Congress MLAs from Gujarat, ever since my Gandhinagar days—when he was a young activist aligned with well-known human rights lawyer Mukul Sinha’s organisation, Jan Sangharsh Manch—he became famous following the July 2016 Una Dalit atrocity, in which seven members of a family were brutally assaulted by self-proclaimed cow vigilantes while skinning a dead cow, a traditional occupation among Dalits.  

Also a lawyer, Mevani emerged as a prominent leader in the aftermath of the Una incident. He organized the Dalit Asmita Yatra, a protest march from Ahmedabad to Una, mobilizing thousands to demand justice and land rights for Dalits. The powerful movement, which made him famous across the country, prompted Rahul Gandhi to ensure that Mevani, unwilling to join the Congress at the time, contested as an independent MLA from Vadgam in the 2017 assembly elections.  

Let me recall, during my Gandhinagar stint (1997-2012), Mevani used to visit me at the Times of India office with detailed facts and figures on how dominant caste groups had deprived Gujarat Dalits of cultivating the land allocated to them during the heydays of land reforms. Ever since, I found that Dalit land rights were close to his heart. At that time, Mevani didn't seem eager to enter politics—he joined the Congress only in 2021.  

After my retirement, I wrote a detailed article in my blog, Counterview, highlighting a book published by the Gujarat chapter of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) in 2014 on the organisation’s history. It controversially mentioned that RSS’ Gujarat mouthpiece, Sadhana, was a "fearless" journal, yet ironically omitted the contributions of human rights leaders Achyut Yagnik, Martin Macwan, and Gagan Sethi.  

On reading my blog, someone from the national PUCL called me, asking who could revive a "defunct Gujarat PUCL," and I promptly named Jignesh Mevani. Too outspoken, a perpetual rebel, Mevani's name wasn't accepted, with the reason given that he was "too young" and "unpredictable."  

Even after joining the Congress, Mevani, I find, hasn’t changed a bit. Despite being an MLA, his public stance suggests he remains a perpetual rebel. As before, he still believes in advocating for what he considers Gujarat’s most vulnerable populations—Muslims and Dalits—insisting that not only has the BJP failed to provide them relief, but atrocities against them have dramatically increased.  

Indeed, one of his passions remains standing up against atrocities, at a time when opposition parties—be it Congress or the Aam Aadmi Party—remain silent for fear of losing non-Dalit, non-Muslim votes. He not only tweets when such incidents occur but also visits affected locations and organizes demonstrations. He once told me, "Unless the Congress stands by the oppressed and fights for their rights, it won’t revive in Gujarat."  

A recent incident (December 2024) involving Payal Goti, a Patel community girl from Amreli district, demonstrated how political leaders, including Congress’ Paresh Dhanani, stood by her and even organized protests when she was allegedly mistreated by police investigating a fake letter issued in the name of local MLA Kaushik Vekariya.  

However, when a much worse incident occurred in the same district—when a 20-year-old Dalit youth, Nilesh, was murdered simply for calling a non-Dalit boy "my son" this May—none, including Paresh Dhanani, are known to have spoken up. To quote a Dalit leader from Amreli: "There is a reason for Jignesh Mevani to feel suffocated. Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil lent his support (both when the incident occurred and later in Parliament) to Payal Goti, which is commendable. But why has none, including Gohil, spoken out on the Dalit boy's murder?"    

The frustration seemed to reach a peak when, without directly naming Congress leaders, Mevani tweeted a few days ago:  

"Now even the leader of the other party has said that you're filled with dud (exploded) cartridges. Remove them—what are you waiting for? B-Team, dud cartridges, those who are making deals with the opposing camp, wedding horses—why hesitate to remove all these? If not for me, at least listen to Rahul ji!!"    

This led to outrage within the Congress, with a social media post by Hemant Parmar protesting how even respected alternative media outlets were suggesting Mevani might join the BJP. According to Parmar, it all started when "Mevani alleged that certain Congress leaders—those selectively chosen and those acting in favor of the BJP—as well as MLAs and MPs who won from reserved seats, have remained silent on Dalit atrocities."  

Parmar laments that media outlets have twisted the narrative, implying he is "strategically benefiting the BJP." He argues these outlets are "discussing the possibility of Mevani joining the BJP" and asks, "Who are they trying to benefit? After Mevani’s allegations against Congress leaders aiding the BJP from within, why is the effort now to turn the accusations back on him?"  

While sources in the BJP have told me there is "absolutely no possibility of Mevani joining us," a Congress insider claimed that some within Shaktisinh Gohil’s circle have been planting stories suggesting he may be drifting toward the BJP. "It is the same people who secretly intend to join the BJP when the time is right," I was told.  

Given ongoing speculation about who from Congress might join the BJP—especially since figures considered deeply committed to Congress ideology, like Arjun Modhwadia, have switched sides—Parmar insists:  

"In today’s Congress: the loudest voice against the BJP is Mevani; the strongest voice for the marginalized is Mevani; the boldest leader is Mevani; the only leader in Gujarat Congress who can directly take on the BJP is Mevani."