Date:05/07/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/07/05/stories/2009070560660800.htm

National

Minimal role for Mayawati’s second-in-command

Atiq Khan

She takes up responsibility for consolidating upper caste base

Mayawati

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Saturday took up responsibility for consolidating the Bahujan Samaj Party’s upper caste support base.

Following this, Ms. Mayawati’s second-in-command and the Brahmin face of the party, Satish Chandra Mishra, will now only have a minimal role to play in party affairs.

Ms. Mayawati said he would only assist her in garnering the upper caste support and restrict himself to legal matters. However, Mr. Mishra will continue as the national general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP.

This decision, which is seen as a step to virtually sideline Mr. Mishra from the party’s affairs, was announced at a five-hour meeting of the BSP MPs, MLAs, MLCs and ministers at the party headquarters.

Giving the reasons for “freeing” the BSP general secretary from the mundane affairs of the party, Ms. Mayawati cited Mr. Mishra’s illness on account of a slipped disc.

She criticised the media for fuelling speculation that Mr. Mishra had been sidelined following his absence from the BSP meetings after the party’s poor showing in the Lok Sabha polls.

Mr. Mishra was hailed for the success of the social engineering formula (the unlikely political combination of the Dalits and the Brahmins) during the Assembly polls in 2007.

In another important move, Ms. Mayawati put PWD Minister and the party’s Muslim face, Naseemuddin Siddiqui, in charge of six of the 13 Assembly constituencies where by-elections will be held in August.

The coordinator of Agra Division, Gorey Lal Jatav, was made responsible for the Firozabad parliamentary seat where by-election will also be held in August.

Ms. Mayawati made it clear that Mr. Siddiqui would look into strengthening the BSP’s base among the Muslims and added that she would also help in the effort.

She said the BSP workers would stage demonstrations in all the Vidhan Sabha segments in the State protesting against the increase in petrol and diesel prices.

If she were to become the Prime Minister, a Dalit would be the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, she said.

The social engineering experiment proved to be a non-starter in the recent Lok Sabha polls with the BSP, with 20 seats, finishing third behind the Samajwadi Party and the Congress. Post-poll analysis showed that Muslims and the upper castes preferred to vote for the Congress.