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Updated: Sep 13, 2019 09:18 IST

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will launch an outreach programme to connect with voters from scheduled castes to spread the message that the party was not against reservations, said Union minister of state and Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit Singh while interacting with media persons at the PWD guest house on Thursday.

Singh said opposition parties were spreading false information that the BJP was planning to end reservations.

“We want to remove this fear among SC communities that the BJP is against reservations. The entire party leadership and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders have reiterated that they fully support reservations as a social measure,” Singh said.

To reach out to the SC community, the BJP will form groups of 1,000 SC voters each and appoint a person from a general caste to interact with them and make them aware of the party’s stand. “This person will get details about these voters, share their issues and concerns with party and these shall be addressed. The feedback will help dispel the rumours,” he said.

The importance of this outreach programme can be gauged by the fact that the population of SC communities is around 20% in Haryana and play an important role in poll outcomes in many constituencies.

Singh also said Bawal and Pataudi constituencies under the Gurgaon Lok Sabha seat had sizeable SC populations, and this programme will help boost the party’s vote share.

Voters in Pataudi and Rewari voted overwhelmingly in favour of BJP during the recent general elections, he said.

In this connection, a meeting of the ruling party’s scheduled caste cell was also held, during which the Gurugram MP discussed the party’s plan in this regard.

Political experts, meanwhile, said SCs have traditionally supported the Congress and BSP, but with both parties not in the best of political health, the BJP wanted to take advantage of the situation and strike it big with them.

Singh, who was in the city in connection with party’s five-day long Mahasampark Abhiyan, added that the party will hold a programme on September 17 to connect with ex-servicemen.