The irrepresible Dalit champion is at it again.
Having made waves in the country by wresting the reins of Utttar Pradesh on the ususual plank of forward caste support, she is now eyeing the
crown at the centre. Chances are that she may even get it.
The saviour of dalit(backward) cause, dr B.R.Ambedkar, who also served as the chairman of the constitution drafting committee never visualised a situation when his brethren would stick to affirmative action in the form of reservations to live in free India. He did not desire that they limb back from the main challenges. In many of his interventin during the debate on reservatins in the constituent assembly as well as in his reply which put finis to the discussion he was emphatic that such action (reservation) was meant to be a onetime action till the backwards marched forward . It was his desire that they compete on eual terms with the rest of the citizens. Political compulsions, populist policies and the desire to please the vote bank impelled the political parties to extend the concessions and even stretch the area of operations. The final blow was that even communities were singled out for this preferential treatment, something the founding fathers would nver have visualised.
Mayawati, the shrewd politician she is , realises that she is sitting on a powder keg. More so, tjhe other politicians. So she is claiming to be a greater leader than the congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and confusing the peole. all the world loves a winner. the winner she is, she may emerge as a national leader. Sonia’s homebase is UP and she has lost it, at least in the first round. there is no guarantee she will win in the subsequent round. The truth has to be faced, if she and her party fare as badly as in the past, the future of congress is bleak indeed. And as things stand, Mayawati’s chances are that brighter.
The voter in india has been credited with sanguine choice in the past. SO it is upto Mayawati to walk the talk and realise her dream of becoming the first dalit prime minister of India.
The die is cast. Let us watch who wins and how.
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