Mayawati expels three leaders

By Our Special Correspondent

LUCKNOW, JULY 21. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) today expelled three senior leaders from the party for `anti-party activities'.

Announcing the expulsion of the MLAs, Mr. Barkhu Ram Verma, Mr. R.K. Chaudhary and Mr. Krisna Pal Singh, at a press conference here, the party national vice-president, Ms. Mayawati, said these leaders were opposed to the BSP's stand on reservation to the ``most backwards and Dalits.''

Ms. Mayawati told presspersons at her residence today that the expelled leaders had deviated from the party stand on reservation and their continuation was not in the BSP's interest. Others who tended to differ from the stand would meet the same fate, she said. Ms. Mayawati has supported the formula of `quota within quota' in reservation of jobs for the Dalits and the backward classes.

Though she initially opposed the principle formulated by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. Rajnath Singh, later she began supporting the idea. Ms. Mayawati even said she herself had suggested this during her chief ministership but the idea did not find favour with the BJP.

The first response to the formula from the Samajwadi Party leader, Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav, and Ms. Mayawati was similar. They apprehended that the policy was an attempt to divide the Dalits and the backward classes and would ultimately lead to caste wars. They also suggested amendments to the Constitution to raise the reservation quota in proportion to the population of various castes if the policy of `quota within quota' was to be implemented.

Ms. Mayawati apparently did not relish being bracketed with Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav on any issue and came to support Mr. Rajnath Singh's stand conditionally. She would back the proposal, provided the quota of reservation for most backward classes among Dalits and backward classes was kept in proportion to their population among their own categories. The expelled leaders felt that the stand taken by Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav was more prudent.

According to Ms. Mayawati, Dalits account for 26 per cent of the State's population. Among them, the percentage of the most backward sections is six. Of these, six per cent could be termed ``most Dalits''. Similarly, the backward classes constitute 52 per cent of the population and among them the most backward sections comprise 37 per cent.

She also changed her initial stand that the `most Dalits' come from castes who do not follow the ideals of Ambedkar and turn to the forces of status quo for their welfare. Today she claimed that the BSP was for special reservation for these deprived sections. ``The BSP is not a political party but a mission. It came into existence only to complete the unfinished task of Baba Saheb,'' she said.

Mr. Verma and Mr. Chaudhary are among the oldest BSP members. Both had stood by her on June 2, 1995, when she was allegedly attacked by Samajwadi Party workers in the State Guest House at Lucknow. Mr. Verma later became Speaker. Mr. Chaudhary also continued to remain a trusted lieutenant of Ms. Mayawati. In contrast, Mr. K.P. Singh, a former MLC, was a new entrant to the BSP.

Ms. Mayawati said Mr. Verma and Mr. Chaudhary did not have a mass following and claimed that they would be ``nowhere''.

The expelled leaders received the message with a stoic ``no comment''.

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