Page 25 - English Tehelka Issue 7 - April 15, 2018

Politics

alliance in 1993 to counter the grow- Guest House where she was lodging. It Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief min-
ing influence of BJP, who was spear- was BJP stalwart Brahm Dutt Dwivedi ister Keshav Prasad Maurya, BJP chief
heading the Ram temple movement who saved her life from hooligans. It Amit Shah wrote revenge script — how
at that point of time by dividing soci- was made into a big political issue in to take on Mayawati and ensure defeat
ety on caste and communal lines. This Parliament by the Atal-Advani duo of BSP candidate Bhimrao Ambedkar
experiment of combining Dalit, OBC who granted support of his legislatures in Rajya Sabha elections. Subsequently,
and Muslims defeated the aspirations to BSP to form the government. Maya- Ambedkar was defeated by BJP nomi-
of the BJP and paved the way to form wati was sworn in as chief minister by nee Anil Agarwal in a close contest after
the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led colition the then Governor Moti Lal Vora on BJP leaders managed cross voting for its
government in the state. The famous same night. Though Mayawati formed ninth candidate. BSP national general
slogan during 1993 electioneering was a coalition government with BJP, this secretary Satish Chandra Mishra told
“Mile-Mulayam Kanshi Ram, Hawa Mein arrangement fizzled out during Kalyan Tehelka, “BJP had won the seat through
Ud Gaye Jai Shri Ram.” Singh’s regime. manipulation and use of money power.
The caste chemistry, that they initi- Since the State Guest House episode Our alliance partners, the Samajwadi
ated together, demolished upsurge of of June, 1995, there has been personal Party and Congress, stood up to their
BJP which emerged as a strong political hostility between the SP and the BSP commitment.” Despite the defeat Akh-
force after the foundation laying cer- and efforts to bring them on the same ilesh Yadav passed the test of trustwor-
emony of Ram Temple outside the dis- platform failed prior to 2017 assembly thiness in the eyes of BSP supremo
puted area at Ayodhya on November 10, Mayawati as all his members voted for
1989. It was done on the advice of Arun the BSP nominee.
Nehru during the Congress regime that Since the State Guest The BJP registered a massive victory,
allowed RSS outfit Vishwa Hindu Pari- House episode of as it won nine seats from Uttar Pradesh.
shad to perform the religious rituals The BJP members who won eight seats
with immense fan fare. June, 1995, there with ease are Union finance minister
Interestingly, after Rajiv Gandhi’s as- has been personal Arun Jaitley, Ashok Bajpai, Vijay Pal
Singh Tomar, Sakal Deep Rajbhar, Kanta
sassination, Arun Nehru deserted the
Backlash after RS polls: Congress and joined Janata Dal. Thus, hostility between SP Kardam, Dr.Anil Jain, Harnath Singh Ya-
Congress had committed a major politi-
dav and GVL Narasimha Rao.
and BSP and efforts
Though BSP lost the Rajya Sabha
cal blunder by trusting his advice, first
Opposition parties more united allowing and then stopping the con- to bring them on the seat, mutual trust between the two
leaders further matured and they an-
struction of the temple in Ayodhya on
same platform failed
the pretext of growing communal ten-
nounced that SP-BSP alliance would
in resolve to defeat BJP sion and law and order. This incident prior to the 2017 be continued in the up-coming 2019
elections to the Lok Sabha and will try
was the starting point of alienation of
assembly polls
Muslims from Congress fold and de-
to form the great alliance by associating
cline of Congress rule. Muslims found
The polity of the most crucial state,
a friend in Mulayam Singh Yadav due with other likeminded political parties.
JP president Amit Shah has the BJP to counter the upcoming grand to his supportive aggression for them elections when Congress wanted the Uttar Pradesh, is going to see fresh
emerged as a highly pow- The polity of the most alliance — a Mahagathbandhan - of and upper caste Hindus too were not BSP to join the grand alliance to fight realignments and new experiment of
erful politician for master- crucial state, Uttar Congress-SP-BSP-RLD and other like- appeased by such an action from the against increasing might of the BJP. caste mechanism that is driving the
ing the art of influencing minded smaller parties who are bent Congress government. The unexpected setback of the 2017 governance of the day not only in the
B a massive mandate for his Pradesh, is going to upon preventing its victory in the 2019 In this backdrop, the SP-BSP alliance assembly election was a fundamental state but at the Centre also. The 2019
party in the recently held elections see fresh realignments Lok Sabha elections. was an eyesore for BJP as it created a lesson that forced Mayawati to join the general elections are going to present
for the Rajya Sabha where the saffron and new experiment The polity of Uttar Pradesh has been major roadblock for the BJP to come to alliance to counter BJP president Amit a united fight before Prime Minister
party has now attained the status of the undergoing a sea change with realign- power as their collective vote strength Shah’s political acumen, as his strate- Narendra Modi as his opponent parties
single-largest party. His master stroke of caste mechanism ment of grassroots political equations was much higher than other political gies manoeuvred desertion of a consid- have come together against his poli-
in election management of Rajya Sab- that is already driving in the wake of which two bitter adver- parties. So, the BJP started exploiting erable vote chunk of both the parties, in cies and taken account of his promises
ha seats from Uttar Pradesh witnessed saries — Samajwadi Party and Bahujan the inner conflicts of interests between particular non-Jatav Dalits and non-Ya- and achievements. So, BJP president
fine engineering of cross-voting result- the governance of the Samaj Party — have come closer and inexperienced alliance partners and dav OBCs. Both of them were uncertain Amit Shah is likely to face really tough
ing in humiliating defeat of the jointly day not only in the announced to take on the BJP in the worked on a well-planned strategy to about their future prospects before the times ahead of next year’s elections to
fielded candidate of Opposition par- state but at the Centre general elections of 2019. break the coalition. Ultimately , the al- unstoppable victory journey of BJP that the Lok Sabha that could be the biggest
ties from Bahujan Samaj Party. How- Samajwadi Party’s patriarch Mulay- liance broke down as the BSP withdrew has captured 21 states under its rule. challenge for him to retain power at the
ever, the aftermath of the elections to too, mudit mathur am Singh Yadav and founder of Bahu- its support and in a violent reaction, the After suffering a humiliating defeat Centre.
the Upper House of Parliament has reports jan Samaj Party Kanshi Ram had con- SP executed an attack on BSP supremo in Gorakhpur and Phulpur by-elec-
thrown a much bigger challenge for ceived and entered a similar pre-poll Mayawati on June 2, 1995 at the State tions, represented by Chief Minister letters@tehelka.com
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