May be the title of the post should have been "How to shoot yourselves in your foot"!
That is exactly what the BJP and the Left seem to have done in aligning themselves with Ms. Mayawati of BSP. While the much smaller regional parties such as RLD and JD(S) would definitely gain by the alliance with BSP votebank in their respective states, it is beyond understanding what BJP has got itself into.
No doubt Ms. Mayawati is a shrewd politician, extremely talented rabble-rouser, a crowd puller and a widely accepted leader of the Dalit / oppressed class. If one goes by press reports, she has been pulling unprecedented crowds wherever she goes, including the Southern States of India, where historically the Dalit-centric parties have been relatively marginal in size, reach and leadership.
But time and again Ms. Mayawati has been accused of opportunism and corruption. And her playing the communal or casteist or 'class' card is reaching its pinnacle now with her claiming that the Nuclear deal is 'anti-Muslim' and if US or Israel bomb Iran, India signing the nuclear deal would be the cause!
She has gone to town now stating "single point agenda is to bring down the UPA government". Does the nuclear deal come anywhere in the picture.
It is a pity seasoned political parties such as BJP or the Left (CPI, CPI(M)) have not realised the significance of propelling Ms. Mayawati. By her timing and Left-BJP's internal agenda, the hitherto regional leader Ms. Mayawati has been brought to considerable limelight and national political scene. Without realising it, the Left + BJP combine have accelerated her ascension.
The next Loksabha elections would see a huge swing of votes / loss of seats in favor of Ms. Mayawati and the parties that are likely to be most affected are the BJP and to some extent the Congress (I).
The bottle has been uncorked...the genie is out...is it a friend or foe ? Is it selfish or selfless ?
Only time shall tell.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Though BJP, Left and BSP were on the same side to defeat the government, Left won't align itself with BJP on other issues. As you predict BJP and congress would lose some seats to BSP. Now the third-front has a prime ministerial candidate to project for the forth-coming elections. I agree that Mayavati plays the caste card but what is liked about her approach is she tries to include all castes. It has generated a lot of interest and takers. Let's see how that works out.
Post a Comment