Even as simmering disillusionment against the BSP regime has begun to surface in UP, Congress’ UP President Rita Bahuguna Joshi’ remarks, made in the context of the rise in rapes of dalit women, have generated political heat. As a result of the vulgar words she let slip in her haste to outdo Mulayam in the race to cash in on the emerging discontent against Mayawati, Congress’ façade has begun to falter. To counter Mayawati’s projection of herself as ‘Dalit ki beti’ (daughter of a Dalit) and ‘Dalit woman,’ Congress had recently begun to construct this façade by appointing Meira Kumar as Speaker.
On the back foot due the cases relating to the constable recruitment scam, property in excess of income, and the matter of massive statues of herself, and above all due to the less-than-satisfactory results of the last Lok Sabha elections, Mayawati has been quick to use Rita Bahuguna Joshi’s words as an opportunity to take the offensive again. ‘Law and order’ are a mantra that is forever on Mayawati’s lips, yet she is even justifying the violence and arson at Rita Bahuguna Joshi’s house as a reaction to the latter’s words.
In this battle between the Congress and BSP, the phrases ‘Dalit,’ ‘woman’ and ‘aam aadmi’ are mere pawns in a game of chess. Devoid of any sensitivity or solidarity with these sections, both these parties have taken their positions in a shadow-war of symbols. Rahul Gandhi justifies the Congress policy of signing Indo-US Nuke Deal and turning India into junior partner of the USA – all in the name of providing electricity to the huts of Kalawati and Lilawati (Dalit women of farmers’ suicide-hit Vidarbha). And Mayawati, far from apologizing for lavishly spending public money on statues and parks dedicated to herself, is instead justifying it by citing the expenditure by Congress on statues and parks. The people of UP cannot hope to benefit from this match where Congress and BSP are lobbing words to and fro between them.
Protection of the self-respect and dignity of women, dalits and other weak sections of society, and securing of democratic rights and genuine social change requires, as a necessary precondition, severe action against feudal and communal forces. Any self-proclaimed ‘social change’ measure that refuses to crush these anti-democratic forces can merely be cosmetic.
Following the shock of the Lok Sabha results (which reflected people’s dissatisfaction at intensified atrocities against dalits and women, which mocked Mayawati’s promise of ‘law and order’) Mayawati has adopted a posture of concern for growing incidents of dalit atrocities and rapes by sending the DGP and other senior police officials to the sites of crimes against dalits, to ensure that FIRs are lodged and to distribute compensation funds. But this effort by Mayawati who has made the journey from ‘bahujan’ to ‘sarvajan’ isn’t having much impact. The widespread influence enjoyed by feudal forces whose reach extends to the seat of power in UP, has made such gestures appear patently contrived. After all, it was the neglect of the deprived and capitulation to the dominant forces that caused Mayawati’s slogan of ‘Dalit PM’ to bite the dust even in her own home ground of UP. BSP’s vote percentage in the recent Lok Sabha elections fell in comparison to that obtained by it in the Assembly elections. Eventually, Congress’ display of ‘Woman President’, Minority Vice President, and Dalit woman Speaker are bound to meet the same fate. Already, the soaring prices of essential commodities are causing Congress’ aam aadmi claims to come undone.
The simmering discontent against Mayawati rule – on the question of drought-relief, rampant irregularities in implementation of NREGA and Forest Rights Act, the failure to make good on promises to give Kols, Musahars, Biyar and other adivasis Scheduled Tribe status and a host of other issues – has begun to come to the fore.
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According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report for 2007-2008, crimes against dalits rose by 5% in Uttar Pradesh despite the state having a dalit chief minister. Uttar Pradesh also witnessed an increase in crimes against women, with the state recording 21,215 cases of violence, including 2,066 cases of dowry death, 1,532 cases of rape, and 3,819 cases of kidnapping.
