The politics of Uttar Pradesh once again resonated with Mayawati’s sharp attitude. The BSP rally organized on the 19th death anniversary of Kanshi Ram was not just a platform of tribute but it was also a political manifesto. Mayawati used the occasion to attack the Samajwadi Party, put the Congress in the dock and unexpectedly partially praise the BJP. The sharp manner in which the BSP chief in her speech described SP as a symbol of “double-minded politics” clearly indicates that Mayawati wants to bring the narrative of ‘social respect versus cosmetic politics’ back to the center before the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
Mayawati accused SP of ignoring Dalit great men when they are in power and organizing seminars and tribute programs in their names as soon as they come out of power. Taking a direct aim at Akhilesh Yadav, he said that when his government came, it changed the name of Kanshiram Nagar, whereas the BSP regime had established it as a symbol of Dalit identity. If seen, this attack was also on the politics of social representation. Mayawati termed SP’s “PDA” (backward, Dalit, Minority) slogan as “political hypocrisy” and said the SP only uses these sections as vote banks. Politically, this statement sends a message to Mayawati’s old votebank, especially the Jatav, Pasi and Valmiki communities, that the BSP is their real political voice and not “opportunistic” parties like the SP.
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Mayawati did not leave Congress either. Reminding the Congress of its “historical neglect” towards Baba Saheb Ambedkar, he said that he neither sent him to the Lok Sabha nor gave him the Bharat Ratna during his lifetime. He also added that the Mandal Commission report could be implemented only due to the efforts of BSP. This attack had a dual purpose. One is to brand Congress as “anti-Dalit” so that the prospects of SP-Congress alliance appear weak. Second, to re-present BSP as the real bearer of social justice.
The most interesting part of Mayawati’s speech came when Mayawati praised the BJP government. Mayawati said, “BSP is also very grateful to the state government because unlike the previous SP government, the present BJP state government has not kept the money collected from the tickets of people visiting this site, but has spent the entire amount on repairing this memorial on the request of the party.” The BSP chief said that during the rule of his government in the year 2007, he had made arrangements that tickets would be issued for the memorial site built in the honor of Kanshi Ram and the money received from it would be used. The expenditure will be spent on the maintenance of monuments and gardens built in the capital Lucknow. He said that the Yogi Adityanath government had properly utilized the ticket money for repairing the monuments, while the SP government had “suppressed” it. This statement is very important politically. This is part of Mayawati’s ‘soft political balancing’—where she wants to maintain distance from opposition alliances, while avoiding a direct clash with the BJP. This is a comforting sign for BJP that BSP can divide the opposition votes by becoming a third front in the 2027 elections.
If seen, the stage of Kanshi Ram’s death anniversary was not just a tribute for Mayawati, but an opportunity for political restoration. BSP barely got 12% votes in the 2022 elections. This was the lowest level in its own history. Now that SP is engaged in pursuing backward-Dalit alliance politics through PDA, Mayawati’s statement is a counter-narrative that “the true honor is to save the legacy of our great men from opportunistic politics.” This is Mayawati’s effort to re-unite her traditional Dalit base and keep it away from SP. Also, she wants to maintain “political relevance” in the state by avoiding direct confrontation with the BJP.
If we look at the impact of Mayawati’s speech on the politics of Uttar Pradesh, then this attack of the BSP chief is especially to make a dent in the Dalit vote bank of SP in Western and Central UP. If BSP is able to emotionally reconnect with its traditional voters, the loss to SP is certain. BSP’s aggression could ensure “scattering of opposition votes” for BJP against SP. Soft remarks on Yogi government also indicate to BJP that BSP is not a complete opponent. Also, BSP’s anti-Congress stance will further complicate the equations of opposition unity. Mayawati’s message is clear—BSP will not accept a subordinate role in any alliance on the “Dalit agenda”.
Moreover, if Mayawati is able to translate her “organized but calm” political style into a grassroots campaign, this rally will mark the beginning of the BSP’s re-entry. If seen, on the pretext of Kanshi Ram’s death anniversary, Mayawati has given a new angle to the politics of Uttar Pradesh. His message is clear – “The real voice of Dalit politics will be that which neither succumbs to the greed for power nor gets mixed in any alliance.” This rally can prove to be a “reset button” for BSP in the direction of increasing the political temperature. And if Mayawati continues this trend till the next elections, then the mathematics of power in Uttar Pradesh may once again take a new shape.
-Neeraj Kumar Dubey
(This article expresses the author’s own views.)