Making a determined bid to play upon the age-old Brahmin-Thakur rivalry for gaining political mileage, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Sunday said either Digvijay Singh or Rajnath Singh could become the chief minister if the Congress or the Bharatiya Janata Party were to come to power in 2012.
Ms. Mayawati described Brahmins as the “exploited lot” under the Central and earlier State governments and cautioned them that the Congress and the BJP could also float the name of a Brahmin chief ministerial candidate in a bid to confuse the community. “If the Congress and the BJP succeed in their game-plan, no benefit would accrue to Brahmins.”
The Chief Minister was speaking at a workers convention of the Brahmin Samaj Bhaichara Samiti at the Kanshi Ram Smriti Upvan here.
Ms. Mayawati mentioned the reasons for giving official posts and party positions to close relatives of some Bahujan Samaj Party leaders. They were given important positions not on account of nepotism, but “on the basis of their commitment to the BSP's ideology.”
In this context, she mentioned the names of the BSP's “Brahmin face” and Rajya Sabha member, Satish Chandra Mishra; Energy Minister Ramveer Upadhyaya; Public Works Department Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui and Panchayati Raj Minister Swamy Prasad Maurya. Their close relatives were favoured with official posts and party ticket, Vidhan Parishad membership and ministerial posts. The names of Minister Jaiveer Singh and BSP functionaries Jugal Kishore and Akhilesh Das were also mentioned by her as among those who benefitted from the decisions “taken in party interest.”
She dubbed the propaganda by the Opposition parties in this regard as a “political conspiracy.” She said it was aimed at defaming the BSP and the government. These decisions were taken as a matter of strategy.
