With the Assembly election less than a year away, statues of historical figures have once again become catalysts for political mobilisation among caste groups in western Uttar Pradesh.
On Sunday, tension arose in Sikauti, a small village in the Sardhana Assembly constituency of Meerut district, when the local administration removed the ‘Jat’ tag from a statue of Maharaja Suraj Mal, which was to be inaugurated at an event organised by the International Jat Sansad.
Seen as a symbol of Jat resistance against the Mughals in the 18th century, the ruler of Bharatpur is being presented as a Hindu king during the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule. In June 2025, the U.P. government approved the celebration of ‘Agra Vijay Diwas’ at Agra Fort, commemorating Suraj Mal’s capture of the fort on June 12, 1761.
In September 2025, following a High Court directive, the U.P. government banned caste-based rallies and public caste markers to curb symbolic politics. Opposition parties noted that the orders do not directly address religious or Hindutva symbols.
The self-styled group, which brought together Jat heavyweights from different parties on one stage, was led by former Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan, who has had a hot-and-cold relationship with the Yogi Adityanath-led administration since his defeat in Muzaffarnagar in the Lok Sabha election. The event saw Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as the chief guest and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party chief Hanuman Beniwal as the star speaker.
