Skip to main content

Mayawati's 'success' depends on how BSP taps new crop of young Amdekarite leaders

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* 

Whatever be the election results in Uttar Pradesh on March 10, it is extremely important to understand: that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and its leader Mayawati have the potential to rise like a Phoenix any time.
Many experts have written political obituaries of BSP. They feel that Mayawati has become irrelevant. Many call her isolated, safe inside her home, adding, she can’t even speak a sentence or two and read her text even at press conferences.
These conclusions are made by persons who do not know the history of a movement begun by Kanshiram. Even if Mayawati, now 66, does not do anything, her life will remain inspiring, and one needs to understand that.
One cannot ignore how BSP became a party to be reckoned with, particularly in Uttar Pradesh. One has to only recall that she was the first candidate fielded by her party in 1984 elections from Kairana but lost. Rajiv Gandhi and the Congress swept the election under the massive sympathy wave in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination. Surely, it was impossible for an entirely new political party to perform.
Mayawati also lost in subsequent elections that she contested from Haridwar in 1987 and 1985 and 1991 from Bijnaur. Coincidentally, in 1985 Ram Vilas Paswan too contested from Bijnaur, as he had lost his Hazipur constituency and wanted to enter Parliament, but failed miserably. The Congress fielded Miera Kumar against them, and both lost. Paswan again tried in 1987 from Haridwar but lost.
The elections in Bijnaur and Haridwar reflected the politics of big leaders to use Dalits as their own votebank. If you go to these constituencies today, none will ever remember Miera Kumar or Ram Vilas Paswan. Today, both Bijnaur and Haridwar remain strong BSP bastions.
One cannot ignore the historical role played by BSP in defeating the Hindutva forces in Uttar Pradesh in the aftermath of the Babri demolition under Kalyan Singh. One may or may not like BSP or Mayawati, but none can ignore her strong grip over administration in benefitting her community when she was chief minister.
Mayawati has been a firebrand speaker. People wait to listen to her. She emerged from the Bahujan movement that did not succeed in one day. That was the time when while men were coming in large numbers to join Kanshiram’s movement, but there were not many women with him. It was a tough decision for a young woman to take a decision and remain completely loyal to her commitment.
Recently, we saw photographs of several savarana netas eating ‘food’ at the house of a ‘Dalit’ family, and tweeting as if they had done a great favour. Mayawati does not need to do so as people know her commitment towards her community. She is the only politician who has not used the Brahminical idioms and vocabulary to get votes.
She remains tall, one who did not pretend to go to a ‘temple’, ‘mosque’, ‘gurudwara’ or even a ‘dargah’ for the sake of pleasing ‘voters’. She has not pretended to ‘celebrate’ festivals, which netas and film stars have become so habitual of. She is the only leader who stands up with confidence and without any pretence.
She does not need to chant bhajans or chaupais from Ramayana to emphasize a point. As a woman, she did not use her identity of a woman to get votes. We saw her strength when she performed the last rites of late Kanshiram, and recently that of her mother.
But politics is changing fast. Youths are now joining in and their aspirations are high. Ambedkarite youths are now challenging the status quo in campuses. Good old days have gone when people would wait for hours in political rallies and listen to the songs all night. Now, youths want to use technology and need immediate responses.
Unlike BJP, and later the Congress, BSP lacks heavily on social media. Ambedkarite youths are raising issues and challenging the so-called mainstream narrative. A large number of youngsters have started their own youtube channels and all have followers in millions. BSP would need to tap this huge space to bounce back. It is a pan-Indian party with presence everywhere.
There is enormous goodwill for Mayawati everywhere among the Dalits. There are new young aspiring grassroots leaders who have emerged. Their energy is being utilised by other political parties. BSP needs to play pivotal role in bringing them under one umbrella in order to provide a credible challenge. BSP is backed with a historic Bahujan legacy, started by Kanshiram.
BSP’s core strength lies in Uttar Pradesh, and it is important that it is not allowed to be diluted. This is essential for a stronger, democratic India. BSP became a brand after lots of sacrifices, and therefore, rather than investing in hundreds of self-styled smaller groups, Ambedkarites could strengthen it.
...with Priyanka Gandhi
Of course, the duty of bringing these groups together rests on the BSP leadership, who know, creating a Bahujan alternative is difficult. Will Uttar Pradesh’s election results show in which direction the Bahujan politics would move? One has to wait and see.
Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi and the Congress deserve kudos for giving space to those who faced victimisation from state authorities. Elections are normally based on calculations to get votes, but this time, the Congress is experimenting, and if it succeeds, it will mean emergence of new contours on the political scene.
It has given over 40% tickets to women and youth. Equally important is the substantial number of seats allocated to Dalits and Muslims in various constituencies. If all these new entrants stick to the Congress ideology despite defeats, the future of the party is bright.
There are some inspiring names like Ramraj Singh Gond, who has fought for adivasi rights in Sonbhadra, Asha Singh, mother of Unnao rape victim, who faced torture and oppression, and Shamina Shafiq, who is contesting from Sitapur. The positive side of the story is, civil society and activists have found space in the Congress.
However, one should not discount BSP. It is a party which came from the historic movement begun by Kanshiram. Of course, right now, all eyes are on Akhilesh Yadav, and he is moving with great strength. His recent aggressive stance on the so-called mainstream media won many a heart.
But Akhilesh must remember that the issue of Uttar Pradesh elections are about systematic marginalisation of Dalits, OBCs and minorities. Bahujan groups are seeking his response. He would do well not to deny importance of social justice in his campaign. He must promise agrarian reforms, better education and healthcare facilities, and state that big highways will not become a tool to loot people.
Uttar Pradesh elections will prove whether Mandal is more powerful than Kamandal. The forces of social justice need to join hands, come together and defeat those who use religion to suppress people and maintain caste hegemony.
---
*Human rights defender. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat. Twitter: @freetohumanity

Comments

TRENDING

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra*  The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Victim of communal violence, Christians in Manipur want Church leadership to speak up

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  The first eleven days of May 2023 have, in many ways, been a defining period of Indian history! Plenty has happened in a rapid-fire stream of events. Ironically, each one of them are indicators of how crimes and the criminalisation of society has become the ‘new norm’; these include, the May Day rallies with a focus on the four labour codes which are patently against the rights of workers; the U S Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its Annual Report on 1 May stating that conditions for religious freedom in India “continued to worsen in 2022”; the continued protest by the Indian women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar for the expulsion of the chief of the Indian Wrestlers Federation on very serious allegations; the Elections in Karnataka on 10 May (with communalism and corruption as the mainstay); the release of the fake, derogative and insensitive film ‘The Kerala Story’; the release of World Free Press Index on 3 May which places India

Delhi HC rules in favour of retired Air Force officer 'overcharged' for Covid treatment

By Rosamma Thomas*  In a decision of May 22, 2023, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of petitioner Group Captain Suresh Khanna who was under treatment at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, between April 28 and May 5, 2021, for a period of eight days, for Covid-19 pneumonia. The petitioner had to pay Rs 3,55,286 as treatment costs, but the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) only reimbursed him for Rs 1,83,748, on the basis of government-approved rates. 

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam*  The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

India joining US sponsored trade pillar to hurt Indian farmers, 'promote' GM seeds, food

Counterview Desk  As many as 32 civil society organisations (CSOs), in a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and India joining the trade pillar, have said that its provisions will allow the US to ensure a more favourable regulatory regime “for enhancing its exports of genetically modified (GM) seeds and GM food”, underlining, it will “significantly hurt the livelihoods of Indian farmers.”

Savarkar 'opposed' Bhagat Singh's, Netaji's dream of India, supported British war efforts

By Shamsul Islam* In a shocking development, the student wing of the RSS put the busts of martyrs Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose with Savarkar's on one pedestal at the University of Delhi late in the night on August 20, 2019. Bhagat Singh sacrificed his life for a socialist-democratic-secular republic and Netaji raised Azad Hind Fauj (INA) consisting of people of all religions and regions for armed liberation of India.

Undermining law, breastfeeding? Businesses 'using' celebrities to promote baby food

By Rajiv Shah  A report prepared by the top child welfare NGO, Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI), has identified as many as 15 offenders allegedly violating the Indian baby food law, the Infant Milk Substitutes Feeding Bottles, and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 1992, and Amendment Act 2003 (IMS Act), stating, compliance with the law “seems to be dwindling by the day.”