Saviours
Saviours arrive to save people. What happens if there is no person left to save? Let's turn to religion to find that answer. What happened after the Christianity fulfilled its target of saving entire Europe and entire population was converted to Christianity? It went on to make the converted people better Christians. The blasphemy laws were enacted to deal with heresy.ccxxxvSee https://www.britannica.com/topic/heresy and also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heresy Anything with contradicted gospel was heresy.
Galileo Galilei, was the Italian astronomer who first propounded heliocentricism model in the West, in which the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun at the center of the Solar System. He was condemned to prison till he withdrew his claim. While in India, the Kumbh which takes place every 12 years for thousands of year is based on heliocentricism.
While the church called the period prior to Christianity as dark age, later thinkers differ. It was termed as a time of darkness of corruption within the Roman Catholic Church, such as: Popes ruling as kings, veneration of saints' relics, a licentious priesthood and institutionalised moral hypocrisy.ccxxxviSee the medieval experience: foundations of Western cultural singularity by F. Oakley, (1988) University of Toronto Press, 1988, pp. 1-4. Last part seems like period of Chandela Kings in central India, who lost to Khilji and were the last Hindu Kings in north India till the rise of Maratha empire.
Similar saviours in Arab converted entire peninsula to Islam but are now fighting among themselves to prove who is better Muslim. Look up the condition of Yemen and it's people. Notice the hostility between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Why forget Iran and Pakistan who killed 27 of former's army on 14 February 2019 in a proxy terror attack.
In India, apart from religion, there are saviors of "Caste Problem." Every political party claims to champian the cause of downtrodden but never really does anything constructive. This includes BJP. But if the problem is solved or if there is no one left to save, what will happen to saviours? Who will elect them?
Reservation
When the Constitution of India abolished untouchability, it also made a provision for positive discrimination in favour of untouchables who after the Constitution were called as Scheduled Caste or SC for short. This positive discrimination ensured that a certain number of educational opportunities and Govt. jobs are reserved in favour of members of SC community. Accordingly a certain percentage of jobs were reserved for Schedule Caste.
Another feature of India is a large number of ethenic tribes who live in forests or settlements and are socially backward mainly due to being cut off from main stream of society. They were also granted this reservation. Together it became SC/ST reservation.
Since the total number of Government jobs is not very large, this reservation only serves a symbolic social purpose of inclusion. If an erstwhile socially untouchable becomes an officer in Government, he/she can not be discriminated by subordinates who can lose their jobs for insubordination. It was an excellent way of upliftment. Though compromising on merit was not the best choice but that is a matter of another debate.
The political effect of granting reservation was that the entire SC/ST community allied with Congress Party for it was party which introduced reservation. It was unfortunate that SC/ST were now a group of vote bank, wooed by every political party. The object of social upliftment or assimilation in main stream of society took a back seat.
Kanshi Ram
Kanshi Ram was an intellectual and well informed leader in India in his time. His acumen and grasp of history was not bookish but was moulded by histories of people he met. According to people who met him he had an affable personality yet initially, in politics he had many uncanny alliances. No wonder he was also called the Dalit ChanakyaccxxxviiSee https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/the-dalit-chanakya/232896 , in as much as he saw the real dynamics of ground realities and adjusted the politics accordingly. According to him the social and political rights of 85 % of society which consist of SC, ST, OBC and untouchables, can not be denied forever as it constituted the majority aka Bahujan. (How he counted those numbers is not clear.)
Kanshi Ram was born in the family of Ramdasia (a backward cast of weavers) Sikh in Punjab on 15 March 1934, there is some doubts about exact village. While Punjab is and was relatively free from or caste discrimination, Ram had to face it in the course of his employment at the Explosive Research and Development Laboratory (ERDL) in Pune, Maharashtra which forced him to undertake a study of the subject of Depressed Classes in India. He started with the study of the writings of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. He also joined Republican Party of India, the party founded by Dr. Ambedkar but only to be disappointed.
It may be appropriate to recall the Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar was one of the tallest leader (from SC community) in post independence India who was instrumental in drafting of the Constitution of India. However immediately after the Constitution was adopted he was 'discarded'. It is well known the Jawaharlal Nehru made it is a point to ensure that Ambedkar does not reach Parliament.
In 1976 Kanshi Ram established the BAMCEF (The All India Backward and Minority Communities Employees' Federation), a unique organisation of educated, employed Dalits, designed as "a think-tank, talent-bank and financial-bank of the oppressed" to help the Depressed Classes.
In 1981 Ram formed Dalit Soshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti (DS4), a political outfit for empowerment of Bahujan community. In 1982, Ram published a book with an interesting title called 'The Chamcha Age – An Era of Stooges'ccxxxviiiSee https://ia800204.us.archive.org/13/items/TheChamchaAge/TheChamchaAge1.pdf . The book was neither kind toM.K. Gandhi nor to Congress Party. The title itself was aimed at pointing out the falsehood of what is called 'Poona Pact'. According to Ram, the Congress party was never serious about empowerment of Bahujan Community and was only paying lip service. He also called the SC community leaders in the Congress Party as stooges or chamchas.
On the day of Ambedakar's birth anniversary i.e. April 14, 1984, he founded the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The biggest achievement of Kanshi Ram, besides formation of political party was grooming of it's future leader Mayawati who would go on to become Chief Minister of U.P., several times.
Between 1984 till his health suffered in 2001, Kanshi Ram was always on the move. Travelling from village to village, town to town, gathering support of the masses but mostly from SC/ST communities. He created vast fan like support in U.P., M.P. and Bihar. The difference in the politics of Kanshi Ram and Ambedkar is explained by following opinion:
"….Ambedkar provided an ethical context to the politics of Dalit liberation since morality was very important to him. Kanshi Ram chose to be pragmatic in his attempt to politically empower Dalits. He was unmindful of the means of acquiring political power, emphasising the end, i.e., attainment of political power. If he was criticised for his 'opportunism' he used to immediately reply that if Brahmins can become influential by being opportunistic then Dalits too could use opportunism to empower themselves. Kanshi Ram believed that until a casteless society was formed it was necessary for Dalits to strategically use their caste as a tool in their own emancipation and to dethrone Brahminism. While Ambedkar saw the abolition of the caste system as vital for Dalit emancipation, Kanshi Ram and Mayawati favoured the awakening of Dalit and backward identities in order to link these with the Bahujan movement. Kanshii Ram and Mayawati transformed Ambedkar's 'slogan, 'abolish the caste system' — propagated in his book, Annihilation of Caste — into 'promote the caste system' to mobilise Dalits towards the restoration of their caste identity and self-esteem…."ccxxxixSee https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/ambedkar-and-kanshi-ram-so-alike-yet-so-different/article3405293.ece
However, it appears that both Ambedkar and Ram, were supporters of "Aryan Invasion Theory"ccxlAryan invasion theory is a falsehood which has been debunked and the official line of BJP and RSS does not support it. However BJP's Minister of Culture tweets believing it to be true and tweetarati slammed him. So much for competence of Minister. See https://twitter.com/dr_maheshsharma/status/1040135008877510657 and emphasised the Aryan vs. Non-Aryan difference between the dalit and other caste. But Kanshi Ram never used the word dalit. Instead he used the word 'Bahujan' which means majority and it included Tribes and Backward Caste, mostly poor at that time. The rise of his party was summed up in USA as under:
"…..Although both the BAMCEF and BSP pursue strategies of building support among Backward Classes, Scheduled Tribes, and Muslims as well as Dalits, Kanshi Ram has been most successful in building support among the Dalit ChamarccxliTenner and Cobbler is more appropriate. (Leatherworker) caste in North India. In the November 1993 Uttar Pradesh state elections, Ram's BSP achieved the best showing of any Dalit-based party by winning sixty-seven seats. At the same time, the BSP increased its representation in the Madhya Pradesh state legislature from two to twelve seats. On June 1, 1995, the BSP withdrew from the state government of Uttar Pradesh and, with the support of the BJP, formed a new government, making its leader, Mayawati, the first Dalit ever to become a chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. The alliance, however, was seen by observers as doomed because of political differences…."ccxliiSee http://countrystudies.us/india/116.htm
But 1995 is so long away. Delhi and India has to suffer more. While Kanshi Ram was mobilising support of the masses, Indira Gandhi the then Prime Minister of India was assassinated on the morning of November 29, 1984.
Peace and Gun
People were in state of shock. Indira was killed by sikh security guards posted for her protection. It was a major security and intelligence failure. By evening of November 29, 1984 it was clear that an animosity was rising in some people, against Sikhs. Some Sikh drivers were pulled out of vehicles and beaten up. Next few days saw India turned into banana republic. Police disappeared. Hooligans rampaged the sikh households and looted their properties. At many places they were killed.
Kanpur and Delhi were two places where maximum killings took place. In Kanpur army was called out and travelled about 10 kilometers to the other side of town but it remained parked near JK temple for days for want of civilian leadership i.e. police. In localities on both sides of temple rampage continued for three days. As it was revealed later on that it was the Congress Party leaders who were behind this carnage. How inhuman? One Congress leader is convicted by High Court of Delhi recently. Several others are also convicted by other courts. Justice too late and too little. Will it send a message?
Buta Singh, the handler of Bhinderwale was now President of India. Rajiv Gandhi son of Indira, was sworn in by then President Buta Singh as Prime Minister. Seniority of Pranav Mukherjee was ignored and dynastic choice was made.
Immediately every thing was in order. An impression was created as if Prime Minister runs every town of the country. Rajiv called in an earlier elections which took place on 24, 27 and 28 December 1984 to elect 8th Lok Sabha.
Rajiv'selection campaign composed of full of front page advertisements in newspapers. This was the beginning of expensive front page advertisements. It pleaded on providing security to people. Picture of fences were displayed claiming that if Congress was not elected each house would be divided with the other by divisive forces. His promise of peace in society was ironic but at that time, touched the masses. Rajiv with his background of a Pilot, like middle class working man, touched a cord with middle class in India. Rajiv got 49% of votes polled and won historic 404 seats in Parliament as Messiah of Peace. His victory was analysed by BBC as under:
"..He has campaigned on an anti-corruption ticket, promising to rid the ruling Congress Party of a legacy of fraud and arrogance. Known widely by his nickname of "Mr Clean", Rajiv Gandhi is seen as a break with the past of the Congress Party, which has held power in India for most of the last 30 years. He is also seen as more pragmatic than his mother, and more liberal towards business. But his opponents have accused him of relying on the "sympathy vote" for his victory, and one opposition MP commented that Indira Gandhi was "ruling from the grave"..."ccxliiiSee http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/29/newsid_3314000/3314987.stm .
Rajiv appointed V.P.Singh, a former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh as his finance minister. The major achievement of Rajiv was to introduce a constitutional amendment which prohibited a member of a party to switch sides. It placed an end to 'Ayaram Gayaram' politics. Now unless at least 1/3rd of members of a legislative party, switch side and join other party, their member ship in the legislature would cease. They were disqualified to be member. This applied to the Parliament as well as State legislature. This amendment gave birth to new era of alliances like NDA or UPA, recently.
With thumping majority Rajiv was most powerful Prime Minister but turned out to be a person with a week knee. His inexperience, (like her mother in 1970's) was all over in place. Shah BanoccxlivMohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum, reported in 1985 (1) SCALE 767: 1985 (3) SCR 844: 1985 (2) SCC 556 = AIR 1985 SC 945. a poor muslim woman who was deserted by her husband with triple talaq was granted a measly maintenance allowance with support of Rs. 25/- by the Magistrate under the law against destitution and desertion i.e. section 125 of Criminal Procedure Code. It was not alimony, as claimed. Matter went to Supreme Court contending that the order was against the Islamic Law.
Supreme Court after referring to Islamic Law and practices, refused to interfere. Shia muslim supported the judgement. Rajiv, to appease the Sunni clergy enacted a law called the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 which diluted the judgment. Now the Muslim divorcées were entitled to alimony from their former husband only for 90 days after the divorce (the period of Iddat in Islamic Law). Now to off-set this Muslim appeasement he played a Hindu card.
Masjid-e-Janmabhoomi (Mosque at birthplace), as recorded in revenue records of Ayyodhya (then Faizabad) was a disputed building under litigation. Architecturally, the building was a mosque, while functionally it had been and continued to be a Hindu temple. Puja was permitted through a priest. Rajiv made it open for the public worship. According to one opinion, he lost next elections of 1989 partially due to these misadventures.ccxlvSee https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/what-if-rajiv-hadnt-unlocked-babri-masjid/224878
The other glory of Rajiv is Bofors. In 1986, the Government of India and Bofors signed a US$ 285 million contract for the supply of 410 (155 mm) field howitzers. In 1987, Swedish Radio alleged that Bofors paid illegal commissions of Rs. 60 crores to top Indian politicians, members of the Congress party and key defence officials to seal the deal.
Another major blunder was caused by his ambition to appear as a statesmen, a world leader. Sri Lanka was facing a terrorist problem with Liberation Tiger of Tamil Elam (LTTE). Rajiv entered into a Peace Accord with Sri Lanka and agreed to post Indian soldiers in Sri Lanka to oversee the Peace Accord. On it'speak about one lac Indian soldiers were posted as peacekeepers. LTTE retaliated and refused to follow the terms of accord. 1,200 Indian Peacekeepers were killed in action and several thousand wounded.
The later half part of his term as Prime Minister is summarised aptly as:
"...Has Gandhi Weathered Crisis? Apparently shaken, Mr. Gandhi rallied his forces and forced Mr. Singh to back down and retire quietly. He then dismissed dissidents, including Mr. Nehru. The dissidents are now calling for Mr. Gandhi's resignation and are trying to build their own independent political force. …… Most analysts say the Prime Minister has weathered the crisis and can probably last until the end of his term in late 1989. But they say Mr. Gandhi's main problem is that he is still seen as a distant figure, uneasy with politicians and bureaucrats, and perhaps even out of touch with India's problems. …….Mr. Gandhi, 43 years old, appears increasingly handicapped by factors that previously did not matter, like his upper-class origins, his halting ability in Hindi, the language of most of northern India, and the fact that his wife is not Indian……..Supporters say he suffers unfairly because he, unlike his mother and grandfather, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, did not spend decades in public service before taking office….."ccxlviSee https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/24/world/turmoil-and-a-scandal-take-a-toll-on-gandhi.html?scp=199&sq=%22v%20p%20singh%22&st=cse
Rajiv, who was elected for the campaign promising Peace, was voted out of Govt. in 1989 for corruption in purchase of Gun.
Rajiv was killed in a suicide bomber attack by LTTE on 21 May 1991, at Sriperumbudur, a village approximately 40 km (25 mi) from Chennai.
In 1994, two Russian journalistsccxlviiAlbats, Yevgenia; Fitzpatrick, Catherine (1999) [1994]. The State Within a State: The KGB and its Hold on Russia-Past, Present, and Future. London, United Kingdom: Macmillan. p. 223. ISBN 9780374527389. in their book claimed that a letter signed by Viktor Chebrikov, who replaced Andropov as the KGB head in 1982 had noted:
"...the USSR KGB maintains contact with the son of the Premier Minister Rajiv Gandhi [of India] ... R Gandhi expresses deep gratitude for the benefits accruing to the Prime Minister's family from the commercial dealings of the firm he controls in co-operation with the Soviet foreign trade organisations. R Gandhi reports confidentially that a substantial portion of the funds obtained through this channel are used to support the party of R Gandhi."
A user has uploaded the relevant page of the book here.ccxlviiihttps://www.scribd.com/doc/82401168/Rajiv-Gandhi-KGB-payoffs-allegation-KGB-The-State-Within-a-State No member of press, including the three journalists who were awarded Padma Shri by Government in 2008-9 have asked any question about this bribe payments by KGB from any member of the family of late Rajiv Gandhi.
Raja Manda
V.P. Singh (Vishvanath Pratap Singh) was born in 1931 and was adopted by Raja Gopal Singh of Manda (from the Gaharvar clan), and at the tender age of 10 he ascended the Manda throne in 1941 as King. His title stood abolished in 1947 along with all other royal princes on accession. After joining Congress Party in 1969, he remained loyal to Indira during and after emergency.
As Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, between 1980–82, he embarked upon an operation to stomp out dacoity, a problem that was particularly severe in the rural districts of the south-west Uttar Pradesh especially Chambal. He received much favorable national publicity when he offered to resign following a self-professed failure to stamp out the problem, and again when he personally oversaw the surrender of some of the most feared dacoits of the area in 1983. He was Minister of Commerce in 1983 and was elevated to Minister of Finance by Rajiv Gandhi in 1984.
When Robert Vadra walked into office of Enforcement Directorate ED on February 6, 2019 in New Delhi, he must curse V.P. Singh. It was Singh who had entrusted ED with wider powers to curb tax fraud. The powers which are expanded further under Benami Act of Modi Government.
Following a number of high-profile raids on suspected evaders, many industrialists including Dhirubhai Ambani and Amitabh Bachchan, said to be close to Congress Party, Rajiv was forced to sack Singh as Finance Minister but he was moved to Defence Ministry.
In 198o Indira Gandhi had ordered purchase of HDW Sub Marines from West Germany. She carefully saw reversal of decision of previous Govt to purchase Swedish Kockums.ccxlixRead full article of Prabhu Chawla: https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/special-report/story/19900315-hdw-submarine-deal-assumes-centre-stage-again.-an-exclusive-inside-story-812418-1990-03-15 The HDW deals continued in Rajiv's Government.
In 1987, V.P.Singh as Finance Minister, received a cable from ambassador in West Germany that Germans had paid 7% commission in purchase. Singh ordered an enquiry but nothing concrete happened.
It is said that he had reached dangerously close to the investigation of Bofors kickbacks. He was dismissed from Government on 12th April 1987 by Rajiv. In retaliation he resigned from Congress Party. By now he was already a house hold name as a leader who stood against corruption. He formed a Jan Morcha with other dissidents like Arif Mohammad and Arun Nehru.
On 11 October 1988, the birthday of the original Janata coalition's leader Jayaprakash Narayan, Singh founded the Janata Dal by the merger of Jan Morcha, Janata Party, Lok Dal and Congress (S), in order to bring together all the centrist parties opposed to the Rajiv Gandhi government, and Singh was elected the President of the Janata Dal. Not only the name, the party was also an amalgam like 1977 experiment of Janata Party.
To cobble up the number, a coalition called National Front was formed. It consisted of the Janata Dal, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Telugu Desam Party, and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), with V. P. Singh as convener, NT Rama Rao as President, and P. Upendra as it's General Secretary.
Notice that these groups, like National Front, or United Progressive Alliance (UPA) of Congress or National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of BJP is a clever devise to bypass the anti defection law introduced by Rajiv Government in 1984. The parties in these groups can freely make or break alliance, contrary to the spirit of the anti defection law.
V.P.Singh campaigned for election on the issue of anti-corruption. He promised clean government. He promised to investigate scams of Congress Party. The campaigns of Kejriwal and Narendra Modi in 2014 were a virtual Deja Vu moment for those who had seen that time.
National Front was anything but national. It had Right wing BJP with 85 MPs and Left wing Communists with 45 MPs. With a mere 143 seats, Janata Party was dependent on both. The Government hardly has anything to it's credit. He appointed Mufti Mohammad Sayeed (former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir) as Home Minister. The reason for the choice is still not clear. Some allege that it was Saudi money in play but there is nothing for even the allegation what to speak of proof.
In 1989 it triggered what is now known as Kashmir crises. The Islamist launched a pogrom of Hindus (Kashmiri Pandit) in Kashmir Valley. They gave three options: 'Ralive, Tsaliv ya Galive' (either convert to Islam, leave the land, or die). They killed a prominent BJP leader Tikka Lal Taploo in September 1989. Lack of response from administration emboldened the Jihadi. Many other people were killed thereafter.
In December 1989, while New Delhi was struggling with power play, Kashmiri militants kidnapped the daughter of the Home Minister of India, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed . His government agreed to the demand for releasing militants in exchange. Allegations are that kidnapping was staged to seek release.cclSee http://www.jammu-kashmir.com/archives/archives2005/kashmir20051114a.html
On 4 January 1990, a local Urdu newspaper, Aftab, published a press release issued by Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, asking all Pandits to leave the Valley immediately. Another local paper, Al Safa, repeated this expulsion order. Explosive and inflammatory speeches were broadcast from the public address systems of the mosques frequently. Situation is summed up as under:
"…..By morning, it became apparent to Pandits that Kashmiri Muslims had decided to throw them out from the Valley. Broadcasting vicious Jehadi sermons and revolutionary songs, interspersed with blood curdling shouts and shrieks, threatening Kashmiri Pandits with dire consequences, became a routine 'Mantra' of the Muslims of the Valley, to force them to flee from Kashmir..ccliAn excerpt of Col Tej Kumar Tikoo's book, Kashmir: Its Aborigines and Their Exodus
Another crises was created by introduction of backward caste reservation, as recommended in Mandal Commission. There were vide spread protests. Some students set themselves to fire on streets. Popularity of V.P. Singh plummeted. His gamble to become Messiah of Backward Caste after he could do nothing on corruption front, had backfired.
Mean while BJP leader Advani had started a caravan, to galvanise support of masses for construction of Ram Temple at the disputed place, as mentioned earlier, in Ayodhya. The caravan was started from Som Nath temple in Gujarat and was to end at Ayodhya. Advani was arrested on Singh's orders at Samastipur in Bihar on the charges of disturbing the peace and fomenting communal tension. BJP withdrew support from the V.P. Singh Government.
If in 1977 it was ambitious Charan Singh, a Jat leader brought down the Janata Party, in 1990 it was the turn of another Jat leader Devi Lal and socialist Chandra Shekhar to bring down the Janata Government. V.P. Singh could not manage different factions of his own party too and lost confidence vote on 7th November 1990. Janata Dal too broke into two factions. Total tenure of V.P.Singh lasted less than a year. Another experiment of rag tag combination.
The Lutyens Media (press from Delhi) abandoned V.P. Singh in his next election.ccliihttps://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/14/world/bulandshahr-journal-ex-darling-of-india-press-finds-himself-ignored.html?pagewanted=print He remained active but could not become a prominent figure in politics again. Singh was consigned to history and died in 2008. There are many books and other media on his life. Ironically his party Jan Morcha renamed as National Jan Morcha merged with Congress in 2009.ccliiiSee https://upclosed.com/people/jan-morcha/ Another deja vu when Kejriwal is trying so hard to seek an alliance with Congress in February 2019, for next Lok Sabha elections.
Bahujan Samaj Party
Meanwhile, Congress was losing ground in the most populous state of India. New actors had appeared in U.P. to displace Congress. BJP had gained popularity on the basis of agitation of Ram Temple. But so was Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of Kanshi Ram and SP of Yadav clan.
According to her biographycclivhttps://penguin.co.in/book/non-fiction/behenji/ , Mayawati had first met Kanshi Ram at her place in Inderpuri Delhi. As a studious girl of Delhi, she was a graduate of arts (B.A.) from Kalindi College and graduate of Law from University of Delhi. She was qualified as a teacher (B.Ed.) from Meerut University. Kanshi Ram visited her on a winter night in 1977, when she was preparing to study for IAS. The meeting is described as:
"...Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door of their house. It was an unusual interruption because relatives and friends rarely dropped by so late at night. When Mayawati opened the door, she found, much to her surprise, a BAMCEF leader whom she recognised from previous Dalit public meetings. A balding middle-aged man wearing crumpled clothes and a muffler round his neck accompanied him. It was her first encounter with Kanshi Ram..."cclvSee Behenji ibid.
In the meetings, Ram told Mayawati that she was committing a mistake by studying to become a Collector. In her words, he said:
"Your courage, dedication to the Dalit cause and many other sterling qualities have come to my notice. I can make you such a big leader one day that not one but a whole row of collectors will line up with files in front of you waiting for orders. You can then truly serve the community and get things done…."
It was beginning of a long mentorship. Leadership has to be mentored but the candidate must be deserving. Mayawati proved to be a deserving candidate. The biographer Ajoy Bose has explained her relationship with Kanshi Ram, as under:
"...Nevertheless, there was no denying the strong personal chemistry between Kanshi Ram and Mayawati, vouched for by all those who came in contact with them. And as is often the case, it was the intensity of their quarrels that often underlined the emotional bond. The bickering, according to old associates, sometimes turned so explosive that those within earshot trembled. Kanshi Ram'shot temper, blunt language and propensity to use his hands when provoked, were legendary. Mayawati, too, was no pushover. She gave as good as she got, never shy of using the choicest expletives. From all accounts it was the lady who usually won the argument….. More than anything else, Mayawati was extraordinarily possessive about Kanshi Ram. She felt threatened by anyone who got too close to him. There were innumerable people he brought into the party who ultimately had to leave because she hounded them out. Although Kanshi Ram from the very start held Mayawati very high in his esteem and made no secret of his admiration, strangely enough she remained insecure about him for a very long time, in fact until she finally established complete control over the organisation. Old associates recall how when Kanshi Ram would be sitting in the living room of his house speaking to a visitor, Mayawati would find an excuse to come into the room virtually every five minutes….. The two were quite different in temperament. Kanshi Ram was highly sociable, loved to chat with politicians and journalists, and trusted people with whom he shared ideas and beliefs. Mayawati, on the other hand, was an introvert who felt political chit-chat was a waste of time. She was also distrustful of virtually everybody in Kanshi Ram's circle of contacts, friends and acquaintances. She spent enormous effort and time to find out whom he met and what they discussed. Later, if he did not tell her about the meeting or discussion, Mayawati would surprise him with the details and quarrel with him for keeping her in the dark..."
The last paragraph would explain as to why Mayawati could not mentor another leader to succeed her. Anyway in 1995 she became Chief Minister of U.P. for a short period of four months. She again became Chief Minister in 1997 for six months.
Death of Kanshi Ram in 2003 came as a blow but Mayawati proved to be an able administrator and galvanised the cadre of party behind her. Behenji (Sister), as she is called, is not a natural orator and delivers all her election speeches from a written note but proved to be an able organiser. Is this to hide her temper which flares up?
She devised a new social engineering by which candidates of upper cast were picked up as future legislatures. The number of schedule caste candidates was drastically reduced. She reached pinnacle of her career in 2007 to 2012 when she became Chief Minister of U.P. by winning majority on her own. However, in this election she raised a new slogan discarding the 'Bahujan' (majority) for 'Sarvjan' (all). She had now gained support of many communities.
While she was able administrator as Chief Minister, all her work was subdued under the weight of the statutes put up by her at Lucknow and Noida. Massive monuments of herself and late Kanshi Ram with elephants, her election symbol, were put up. On February 6, 2019 Supreme Court asked her why she should not be called upon to reimburse the expenses of Rs.6000 crores spent by State on these projects.
She lost elections in 2012. From 206 MLAs in 2007, the numbers came down to just 80 in 2012. When the Lok Sabha elections were held in 2014, for the first time since 1989, BSP was not able to send even a single MP to the Parliament. In 2017 BSP won just 19 seats in state legislature. It was BSP'slowest tally since 1992.
There were allegations that she sold tickets to candidates for Rs. 2 Crore to 10 Crore a piece.cclvihttps://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/two-bsp-mlas-accuse-mayawati-of-selling-tickets-for-polls/story-MsCU4VkloH6R6MIgpz2WZO.html BSP denied it.cclviiSee https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/bahujan-samaj-party-denies-jugal-kishores-charge-of-ticket-trading/
In the 2007–08 assessment year, Mayawati paid an income tax of ₹ 26 crore, ranking among the top 20 taxpayers in the country. A case of possession of assets disproportionate to known sources was filed but Mayawati declared that her income was by way of gifts from supporters and gave the details of supporters. Thereafter case was dismissed. It however raises a new questions of propriety of a public figure accepting huge personal gifts and possibility of returning favour when in power.
In 2010 Mayawati's total wealth were valued around Rs 88 crore while in 2007 it was worth Rs 52.27 crores. Her wealth as declared in 2012 jumped toRs 111 crore, a 25 per cent increase in two years.cclviiiSee http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/mayawatis-wealth-jumps-25-pct-to-rs-111-crore-in-2-years/923264/
In 2014 general elections BSP spent Rs. 300,584,822 (30 Crores) as per it's return filed with Election Commission.cclixSee https://eci.gov.in/files/file/7790-bahujan-samaj-party/
Mayawati provided fair administration. She did development work as well. The defeat of Mayawati was due to extravagant parties and vulgar display of wealth. It was an anathema to traditional culture of India. Yes extravaganza is on rise. But people doing it are movie stars or industrialists. Aping them do not fetch votes. Especially in a state where there are a large number of very poor people.
Will the chemistry of Mahagathbandhan or Grand Alliance between SP and BSP, work? There are practical problems in the alliance of rivals. More about it later.
U.P. was most prosperous and industrialised State. The story of Kanpur is told in next chapter. It is the largest town of U.P. The story of Kanpur is also the story of Uttar Pradesh. This voting on the basis of caste, de-linked with performance has ruined U.P. and Bihar, both.
There are voters who do look at performance. That'show Governments change. But the change Narendra Modi is asking is to vote only for performance. Would the voters listen? Would they become electors? If they do, another question will arise: Have MPs of BJP which has 71 out of 80 MPs in U.P., performed well in last 5 years?
EWS Reservation
According to article 340 of the Constitution of India, "The president may by order appoint a commission consisting of such persons as he thinks fit to investigate the conditions of socially and educationally backward classes and the difficulties under which they labour and to make recommendations as to the steps that should be taken by the union or any state to remove such difficulties and as to improve their condition.."
Morarji had appointed the Mandal Commission in exercise of powers under above article on January 1, 1979. It submitted it's report in December 1980 that stated that the population of OBCs, which includes both Hindus and non-Hindus, was around 52 per cent of the total population. The number of backward castes and communities was 3,743 in 1979-80.
However in 2006 the number of backward castes in Central list of OBCs has now increased to 5,013 (without the figures for most of the Union Territories) as per National Commission for Backward Classes of 1993.
So whatever is being done is, obviously wrong. People want to stay backward for now it entitles special privileges. Is it not the time to think again at reducing the backwardness rather than increasing it?
After independence the Hindu population was divided into various castes. Now they are segregated in three groups: 1) General , 2) Backward (OBC) and 3) Dalit now called Scheduled Caste clubbed with Scheduled Tribe or SC/ST. (The Schedule is in the Constitution) Is this divisive or unifying?
There is substantial debate over the exact number of OBCs in India; it is generally estimated to be sizable, but many believe that it is lower than the figures quoted by either the Mandal Commission or the National Sample Survey.
Would enactment 10% reservation in favour of economically weaker section of general category (EWS), has Modi created another group of vote bank? Would it divide India further? When will a debate start on caste based reservations?
Even with 27% reservation in favour of OBC, after it's introduction in 1989, the number of OBCs in Govt. jobs is about 12% onlycclxSee https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/20-years-after-Mandal-less-than-12-OBCs-in-central-govt-jobs/articleshow/50328073.cms . Should the Government or rich political parties or corporations start some merit based scholarships?
Uttar Pradesh, if it was a country, it would have been sixth largest country in the world. It has been and is key to the power in Delhi. Will the formal re-entry of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, into politics make Congress Party perform any better than last year, is a question on every body's mind. But the real question is will the voters, young and literate enough to search google, believe her sweet talk? Will they accept the old dreams wrapped in new covers?
Uttar Pradesh was birth place of King Makers in India's politics and the Governments in New Delhi, but it has a tendency to disappoint every one. Kingmakers may have lost electoral prowess but they are always in TV debates to make a point. Let's meet Kingmakers.
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