In the run up to the 2014 lok Sabha election, which could be less than a year from now, frantic efforts are being made by all major political parties to woo Brahmins.
While the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party are vying with each other to attract Brahmins, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which had full support of this upper caste community till a few years back, appears to be reluctant to join the race. It is of the opinion that the attempts of the SP and the BSP would end up in smoke as the Brahmins have a bitter experience of both regimes.
The ruling SP held its Brahmin conference on Friday coining it as 'Prabuddh Prakoshth Sammelan' and minister of state for Agriculture Manoj Pandey organised it.
On its part, the BSP held a Brahmin conference organised by national general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra on April 17. Both Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati tried to project themselves as the champion of the Brahmin' cause in their respective ways.
The BSP chief enjoyed considerable support of Brahmins in 2007 Assembly polls which helped it in securing majority. However, she failed to keep the support intact during 2009 lok Sabha and 2012 Assembly polls. Aware of the ground reality, Mayawati reminded the Brahmins that it was she who checked their victimisation.
She also chose clarify the common notion that a handful Brahmin leaders like Satish Chandra Mishra, Ramveer Updhyay and Hari Shankar Tiwari and their kin flourisehd during her regime. Mayawati stressed that she worked for the welfare of the entire community.
Insiders in the BJP claimed that the such conclaves by the BSP and the SP could only enhance the status of those Brahmin leaders who organise the meet for their respective partties but will have little or no impact generally.
" The truth is that both the SP and the BSP have treated Brahmins unfairly whenever in power and thus both stand exposed," commented state BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak. He claimed that being a party of all sections, the BJP does not belive in such caste-based political meets and only adovocates cultural nationalism.
When asked whether the BJP was indifferent to such conclaves, Pathak said that being a party we have to keep watch on the activities of other parties but we do not follow them as we work for the unity and integrity of nation as a whole.
" As for as the coming lok Sabha polls, the community knows what to do as the BJP is the only party with pan -India presence and is capabale of dislodging the corrupt and inefficient UPA government. Voting for either the SP or the BSP will indirectly lead to aiding the Congress covertly and the Brahmins are intelligent enough to comprehend the ramifications," concluded Pathak