Amid display of Hindu symbolism — chanting of Vedic mantra s by priests; blowing of conches; slogans raised in honour of Lord Ram and Lord Shiva; an idol of Lord Ganesha, and a trident, on stage — the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday promised the dominant Brahmin community that she would work to protect its interests and provide it security, if she was voted for power for the fifth time in Uttar Pradesh.
If the BSP forms the government in 2022, the Brahmin community will have “no room for any disappointment”, Ms. Mayawati promised them as she reiterated that she would no longer build memorials, parks or statues dedicated to OBC (Other Backward Class) and Dalit icons but was willing to suitably honour the religious and social icons of other communities, if they desired so.
Ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls, Ms. Mayawati hopes to add the support of the Brahmin community to her core Dalit vote base and for this, she has several times this year appealed to the Brahmins to emulate Dalits and not fall for any allurements offered by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
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Addressing a meeting held here for the “
Before Ms. Mayawati reached the stage, the slogan of “ Hathi nahi Ganesh hai . Brahma Vishnu Mahesh hain . Bacha bacha Bhim ka , BSP ki team ka ,” was heard in the hall. As she stepped on to the stage, she was welcomed by the chants of mantra s and the sound of conches as well as slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’, ‘Jai Siya Ram’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’. Ms. Mayawati was first gifted a silver trident — which was described as a symbol of Maa Durga from the stage — and a conch, by Kalpana Mishra, wife of Rajya Sabha MP Satish Chandra Mishra, the BSP’s Brahmin face. This was met with chanting of ‘Har Har Mahadev’, ‘Jai Shiv Shambhu’ and ‘Jai Siya Ram’, and followed by Mr. Mishra gifting Ms. Mayawati a mini-idol of Lord Ganesha.
The BSP’s strategy to woo the Brahmins in this election involves the appeasement of Hindu cultural icons, and promises of expediting the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, is a departure from its methods in the past.
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Ms. Mayawati said that she had completed the task of building memorials, parks and statues dedicated to OBC and Dalit social icons during her four tenures as Chief Minister of U.P., and if voted to power for the fifth time, would spend all her “strength” on “altering the picture of U.P.”.
“We don’t require building any new memorial, park or statue. Whatever work we had to do, I did it in plenty and gave them [the OBC, Dalits] several times the honour,” she said.
Often accused by the BJP of catering to just Dalits and that too the Jatav sub-caste, Ms. Mayawati said, “Our party is not of any particular caste or religion but is a party of sarv samaj (entire society).”
Ms. Mayawati repeatedly asked the Brahmin community to support her to replicate her win in 2007, and listed the things she had done or them during her rule, including giving them adequate tickets during elections, and Ministerial berths. While in power, the BSP did not allow oppression of, or injustice against, any religion or caste, she stated, reminding the gathering of the law and order situation under her government.
Ms. Mayawati appealed to the Brahmins to emulate the Dalits, whom she described as a “solid rock”, and not get lured or misled by other parties. Dalits stood by the BSP even in the worst of times, she said proudly. And if the Brahmins followed suit, then “no force can stop us” from forming a majority government in 2022, just like in 2007, she said.