There is a change in the demeanor of BSP Chief Mayawati after the victory of Opposition parties in UP bye-elections and successful April 2 bandh organized by dalit youths against alleged dilution of SC/ST Act. The success has given her party a fresh lease of life as she sees an opportunity to regain the lost political ground in Uttar Pradesh where her party had received electoral jolt in 2014 and 2017.
She is at her stinging best when she issued warning to officials. “When we will come to power all the cases against dalits will be withdrawn,” she said in a statement on Sunday cleverly using the word `Hum’ than `BSP’ in press note sending the message among political spectrum that she is ready to honour the `alliance dharma’ .
Political leaders consider Mayawati as fickle minded leader who can change decisions within seconds. It is history that BSP’s alliance had not worked with any political outfit for a longer period. The founder of BSP Kanshi Ram had once told this reporter that BSP wants quick elections as it invigorates party workers and therefore does not mind ditching alliance partners.
Much water has flown down the river Gomati since Kanshi Ram said those words.. In the modern politics where religion is used to get political mileage the regional parties are blown away in the whipped up Hindutava storm. BSP is no different. The party was decimated in 2014 lok Sabha elections where it failed to win even one seat though in 28 seats it came second and in 2017 assembly election it won just 19 seats.
With her back to the wall Mayawati is fighting for her party’s survival. When all the top leaders akin of Swamy Prasad Maurya, Nasimudding Siddiqui, Thakur Jaiveer Singh and Indrajeet Saroj left BSP and joined different parties, political pundits had written requiems for BSP. The writing on the horizon was it is end of BSP because dalits have deserted Mayawati and voted for BJP in 2017 and 2014 elections.
In this scenario the decision of Mayawati to support Samajwadi Party in the Phulpur and Gorakhpur bye-elections was no less than the masterstroke which is destined to change the political discourse. Her party lost Rajya Sabha election despite SP and Congress supporting her, she was suave in her reaction. She made it clear that one or two electoral defeat will not the prospect of alliance.
The massive dalit support during Bharat Bandh has given her party a new energy. In her statements she now touts about dilution of SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and how successful the agitation was which had terrified the BJP because of which the governments of BJP-ruled states were “torturing” Dalits.
“Because of the widespread success and anger within the Dalit and tribal population, the BJP’s central and state governments are now terrified and have started to feel the power sliding from their hands…,” she further said, adding that the atrocities committed during the Emergency seemed lesser in comparison to these arrests.
This statement of Mayawati hits BJP the most because she says present days are more traumatizing as compared to emergency days. The BJP retaliates by reminding the Guest House case as how BJP had saved
Mayawati’s life and made her Chief Minister for the first time.
This goes without saying that the relation between SP and BSP had touched rock bottom after June 2, 1995 when SP supporters assaulted BSP legislators and even tried to storm into Mayawati’s room in the UP government’s State Guest House. Mayawati always believed that SP’s attack on the guest house was actually an attempt on her life.
After Samajwadi Party was routed in assembly election, Akhilesh Yadav who was also facing a war within the family, had shown his inclination to join hands with the BSP. Even RJD lalu Yadav had said that if BSP-SP join hands the alliance can wipe out BJP. When it came to political survival Mayawati chose to let bygones be bygones and go for the alliance.
