New Delhi: In the past five months, the Bahujan Samaj Party has suffered mass defections, a rout in UP Assembly polls and hostility from an expelled party leader. But its latest challenge may be the toughest it has faced so far. That’s because it comes as a direct threat to the political career of party supremo — Mayawati.
Bhim Army’s founder Chandrashekhar Azad, who led a massive show of strength in the capital on Sunday, comes from West UP, which was also the initial political training ground for Mayawati.
More crucially, he is a Jatav Dalit, just like Mayawati, and his popularity among Mayawati’s core vote base is a cause of concern for the BSP. One could add a third but minor point — he is a lawyer just like Mayawati.
The BSP supremo’s nervousness at the growing popularity of the two years old outfit — Bhim Army — was visible during her visit to Saharanpur on May 23. Speaking outside Ravidas temple, the desecration of whose idol has sparked a month-long caste riot, she said, “Dalits often form smaller outfits to celebrate their icons and that makes it easier for the BJP to oppress them. I appeal to you to celebrate Baba Saheb’s anniversary and Ravidas Jayanti on the BSP’s platform. If you join the party, the Bharatiya Janata Party will never dare to raise a finger against you.”
But for many young Dalits in Saharanpur, Mayawati’s speech on Tuesday was too little, too late.
In two years, Azad has been able to create an organisation, whose membership he claims is more than 40,000, from the same vote base which was nurtured and patronised by Mayawati for over two decades.
Senior leaders in the party are worried but they won’t admit it. Party spokespersons refused to comment on Bhim Army or Chandrashekhar Azad. But one senior leader, wishing not to be identified, claimed that Bhim Army was nothing but a social phenomenon.
“Show me where is Bhim Army? They are scattered across the internet. As far as Sunday’s protest is concerned, arranging a crowd is not a big deal but sustaining the momentum is. Look at what happened to Jignesh Mevani.”
When asked to comment on the rumour circulating around Azad and his movement, that they are being propped up by a rival party, he said, “why not. All the signs are there.”
Mayawati, who has increasingly confined herself to her Lucknow residence, instead of being always present among the masses, like her earlier self, did not go to Saharanpur only address Dalit grievances. In her hurry to go to Saharanpur on road, when denied permission to travel on a chopper, she betrayed signs of nervousness, of worry that Azad would expand and consolidate his base in Saharanpur and beyond.
Her party leaders may be dismissing Azad as a passing fad, but she knows with municipal elections coming up in UP, Azad’s rising popularity would only happen at the cost of BSP.
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