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Friday, July 18, 2008
Maya reigns supreme
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati seems to have conjured up a strategy out of the chaos triggered by the nuke deal, with the leadership role being thrust on her in line with her wish to acquire a pan-Indian appeal.
The Dalit czarina would spend the crucial weekend ahead of the trust motion in Parliament meeting two unlikely friends -- Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana Rashtra Samiti boss K Chandrasekhara Rao. The two rivals from Andhra follow the Left which has just shed its inhibition to forge a front with the "casteist outfit''.
Though pushed into the situation by the altered political equations -- Mulayam Singh Yadav joining hands with Congress and the urgency shown by CBI -- the BSP chief is looking to turn it into a vehicle to her national ambitions with the objective to grow at Congress' expense.
If the motley bunch of regional parties backed by Left does prop up the BSP supremo into a leadership role against Congress and BJP faces in Lok Sabha battle, her purpose would be served.
Observers feel it would be the logical next step to Mayawati's growth after she swept the 2007 UP assembly polls. The loser would be Congress, already faced with shrinking votebase and geographical spread.
Mayawati's feat in breaking the jinx of a hung assembly which even the mighty BJP and SP could not, insiders say, fired the imagination of Dalits across the country. She herself embarked on a nationwide campaign to boost the party's presence in states, a move which saw Congress' concerns reflecting in its criticism of the chief minister ignoring governance in UP.
The gambit could not adequately boost the BSP growth in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka polls but it is felt the gap would be filled by Mayawati being seen as a national player.
It would be a direct threat to Congress, which retains a strong grip over Dalits outside UP. A BSP success in its endeavour could knock the bottom out of Congress' staying power elsewhere as Dalits and minorities are critical to its political muscle.
Given the returns, Mayawati may agree to walk with Naidu and Rao despite her interests being at variance with them. Naidu worked to break the Dalit mobilisation in AP by introducing sub-categorisation, which has now been picked up by Congress in its own bid to counter BSP.
BSP has opposed the division of Dalits on the lines of social advancement, but it may keep the contentious issue out for next Lok Sabha polls.
A BSP success, in the long run, would only end up threatening the AP outfits, as seen by BJP which courted Mayawati in UP only to see her hijack the saffron social base.
It is working for Mayawati, strong enough to worry Congress and SP. If Naidu and Rao are landing at her doors, as did the Left, its because there is no ambiguity about her political muscle or ambitions. As Rao says, "She will be a big power in future and we want to be on her side. We need someone to ruin the Congress and Mayawati can do it.''
The Dalit czarina would spend the crucial weekend ahead of the trust motion in Parliament meeting two unlikely friends -- Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana Rashtra Samiti boss K Chandrasekhara Rao. The two rivals from Andhra follow the Left which has just shed its inhibition to forge a front with the "casteist outfit''.
Though pushed into the situation by the altered political equations -- Mulayam Singh Yadav joining hands with Congress and the urgency shown by CBI -- the BSP chief is looking to turn it into a vehicle to her national ambitions with the objective to grow at Congress' expense.
If the motley bunch of regional parties backed by Left does prop up the BSP supremo into a leadership role against Congress and BJP faces in Lok Sabha battle, her purpose would be served.
Observers feel it would be the logical next step to Mayawati's growth after she swept the 2007 UP assembly polls. The loser would be Congress, already faced with shrinking votebase and geographical spread.
Mayawati's feat in breaking the jinx of a hung assembly which even the mighty BJP and SP could not, insiders say, fired the imagination of Dalits across the country. She herself embarked on a nationwide campaign to boost the party's presence in states, a move which saw Congress' concerns reflecting in its criticism of the chief minister ignoring governance in UP.
The gambit could not adequately boost the BSP growth in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka polls but it is felt the gap would be filled by Mayawati being seen as a national player.
It would be a direct threat to Congress, which retains a strong grip over Dalits outside UP. A BSP success in its endeavour could knock the bottom out of Congress' staying power elsewhere as Dalits and minorities are critical to its political muscle.
Given the returns, Mayawati may agree to walk with Naidu and Rao despite her interests being at variance with them. Naidu worked to break the Dalit mobilisation in AP by introducing sub-categorisation, which has now been picked up by Congress in its own bid to counter BSP.
BSP has opposed the division of Dalits on the lines of social advancement, but it may keep the contentious issue out for next Lok Sabha polls.
A BSP success, in the long run, would only end up threatening the AP outfits, as seen by BJP which courted Mayawati in UP only to see her hijack the saffron social base.
It is working for Mayawati, strong enough to worry Congress and SP. If Naidu and Rao are landing at her doors, as did the Left, its because there is no ambiguity about her political muscle or ambitions. As Rao says, "She will be a big power in future and we want to be on her side. We need someone to ruin the Congress and Mayawati can do it.''
Labels: Indian Politics
# posted by gopi @ 6:19 AM 
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