MAYAWATI: WILL SHE OR WILL SHE NOT

MAYAWATI…WILL SHE OR WILL SHE NOT

Ms Mayawati , Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh , the most populous state in India is news again. It looks Mayawati courts controversies and openly likes them. She was garlanded with a 60 kgs garland made of fresh Rs .1000 Indian currencies notes. The Income Tax Department estimates the use of over 500 bundles of notes each with 100 notes and weighing 120 grams. The total value of the garland comes to Rs 5,00,00, 00, 000 (500X 100X 100X1000). She was criticized by politicians, media and general public and as in a confrontation mode she got herself garlanded by a very colorful garland made up of all denominations of Indian currency valuing Rs 21,00,000. Behanji ( as she is affectionately called by her party men)permitting, her party men will hence forth garland her with currency notes only. Several political leaders have got themselves weighed in gold, silver, coins in the past and all such collections have reportedly gone to party funds. There seems to be nothing improper here if it was not so n the past.

Earlier she was in news for erecting huge statues of herself and her mentor Mr. Kansi Ram, (the Founder of Bahujan Samaj Party) in parks specially earmarked for this purpose. One can see hundreds of statues of herself and Kansi Ram with her Party symbol, elephant, in Lucknow the state capital and Noida (an Industrial hub) close to Delhi, the capital of India. Other political parties too have got roads and bridges, institutions, towns, hospitals, airports etc after the names of their past or present leaders. Here also, Mayawati is only doing the obvious.

Her love for diamonds, ladies bags, salwar suits, palatial houses, is also well known. Nothing strange as that is what the wealth for.

She rules the party with iron hands, so does Jayalaitha of AIDMK, Mamta Bannerjee of TRIMUL CONGRESS, and Sonia Gandhi of Congress.

A scheduled cast (cobbler) by birth, born in a poor family goes to become a qualified lawyer, works as a teacher, is spotted by Mr. Kansi Ram and brought within the inner circle of BSP. Within no time, not only she controls the mentor but through him the party too.Kansi Ram in his own lifetime hands over the party reigns in her hands and in his last days becomes totally dependant on her, to the extent that his close family members are not permitted to meet him .

To understand her, we will have to go back to the times when persons belonging to schedule casts like Cobblers, scavengers, smiths, watermen, et el (Mr. M. K. Gandhi called them Harijans i. e. God’s own children in his endevour to eliminate untouchability) were considered untouchables by the upper cast Brahmins, Vaishyas, Khatriyas.

In my childhood, I have seen these people getting punished for drawing water from the village water wells or taps. In school their children had to sit in a separate line a little far from the upper cast children. Whenever cattle died in the village, they were called to drag it and dump outside the limits of the village and no remuneration was ever paid. There was no question of inviting them to any village function. Even during Ramlila Plays, they were to sit separately. They were supposed to give right of way to upper cast. They were supposed to pay respect and bow to even children of upper cast people. They were not supposed to touch while accepting food or any other item from the upper cast.

When I came to the town for my further studies, I saw these Bhangies(scavengers) cleaning the dry latrines and carrying the waste over their heads for which they got pittance. Unsociability was less prevalent in the cities.

Sixty-seven years down the line, a lot has changed. Thanks to the democratic set up of the country, every political party has tried to woo this vote bank. This little change is due to the necessity of gaining political power and not because of any change of heart. Unsociability is now criminal offence. There is reservation for them in Parliament and state Assemblies, Government jobs, Education and various other fields. There are influential leaders, pleaders, officials and educationists from these casts. It is sight to see upper caste people lining up for the Darshan(audience) of Behanji.

The hypocrisy does not end here. It is only for the economically and politically powerful people of these casts who gain credence in the hands of the upper caste people. It looks money is a great leveler.

Conditions in the villages are far from satisfactory. Traditionally, lower cast people were denied entry in the temples, wells, and houses. The same is still true.

Viewed in this background, there is a huge possibility that Mayawati is on Vendetta. She and her family members seem to have suffered in the hands of upper cast people. We heard about Raj Hat, Triya Hat and Bal Hat (Obstinate King, woman, child) meaning if the King or woman or child bents upon asking or something, there is no limit to what they would not do.

Mayawati has proved that she can win power, she can amass wealth, she can force the upper cast to bow before her, she can disobey the courts, and she can hire and fire any official. In short she can do anything she wants. The dalits, the downtrodden, the cursed, the marginalized, the lowest of the low casts … all see themselves in her. They believe one day their own lot will change as that of Mayawati and one day they too will have power, wealth and whatever.

Will this happen? Will Mayawati be ready to drop political opportunism in favor of the upliftment of the erstwhile untouchables? Time will only tell.



H. P. Lakhera
Delhi, March 20, 2010