Tonga race kindles political heat in Jat heartland

Jaipur: Caught between a court restriction and public sentiments whipped up by local politicians, the BJP government has to find a solution in the controversy over the traditional “tonga race” in Nagaur district — the hotbed of politics in Rajasthan.

Till the high court imposed a ban on it in 2014, the “tonga race” would take place during an annual fair dedicated to Lord Ganesha and Lord Tejaji. Four races were held on the highways in Nagaur during Bhadva, the festive month, according to the Hindu calendar.

With the state going into polls next year, the clamour of protests over the ban has grown. Hanuman Beniwal, an independent MLA from Khimsar, announced a sit-in on August 23 to protest the ban. The MLA, who was earlier in the BJP, is now trying to fill the void created by the decline of the Mirdha clan, which controlled the state’s Jat politics. “The race is a matter of people’s faith and if the state fails to take action, it has to deal with protests,” Mr Beniwal said.

Former minister Harendra Mirdha, who has not been very active after losing consecutive elections since 2003, wrote a letter to chief minister Vasundhara Raje to restart the race in Nagaur, citing the cultural and religious tradition of the district. Mr Mirdha is the son of late Ram Niwas Mirdha, a Congress stalwart and respected leader in the Jat community.

The BJP cannot let the matter go out of hand as the Jat community holds sway over nearly one fourth of the seats that can make or break election prospects for any party in the state. “The race is the part of a tradition. Going by the court’s parameters, even tilling of land with oxen is cruelty,” said animal husbandry minister Prabhulal Saini.

Ajay Singh Kilak, promoted to the Cabinet rank in the last reshuffle to check Mr Beniwal’s rising influence in the community, said that after a high-level meet, a solution would be evolved, keeping in mind both the legal aspects and people’s sentiments.

What it means is that the government has been thinking of taking the ordnance route that was used by the Tamil Nadu government on Jallikattu. Mr Beniwal and some BJP MLAs have been insisting on bringing an ordinance. But time is running out fast as the supporters of the race have already announced a Nagaur bandh on Wednesday, followed by a dharna from the next day. Also, the first race is scheduled on August 31.