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NOTE: Such article are examples of what is considered to be
intelligent analysis.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leaders to a person, have the expression
of the proverbial cat that has just licked fresh cream. Members of
Parliament of this august party can be seen strutting through the
corridors of Parliament stopping every now and again to "pooh pooh"
over the sorry state of affairs in the United Front. Uttar Pradesh
is in a mess they say, and the motion under Rule 184 was moved by
them simply because of their overwhelming concern for the people of
the state.
If, as a result, it has put the United Front in the dock well that
is an added bonus but certainly not the central intention. Uttar
Pradesh has to be saved, from the likes of Mulayam Singh Yadav. And
so on and so forth. On the other side the Samajwadi party, or more
specifically its leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, is trying to counter
the BJP assertions with characteristic belligerence. To protect
his clan he uses the BJP bogey to disarm his critics and elicit
support which might riot have been otherwise forthcoming.
Typical Mulayam tactics use the BJP to get your own way. Be it in
terms of votes during the elections or support from the Centre as
in this Union home minister versus UP governor controversy. "The
BJP is coming" is the Samajwadi clarion call which sends all
scurrying for cover, and right into Mr Yadav's arms. The two
parties, which with the Congress, have contributed most to the
"chaos, anarchy and destruction" that is more than visible to any
one even remotely sensitive to the state of affairs in Uttar
Pradesh, are screaming the loudest. It should have been ironical
but for a UP walla there is no room for irony.
The Congress which produced its Prime Ministers and most of its
stalwarts from Uttar Pradesh, did the least for UP. Over the
years, the people of this state came to represent just a convenient
vote bank who could be won over with mere promises election after
election. There were the upper castes the Muslims and the Dalits -
the backwards being these faceless people who were not directly
addressed by the Congress governments.
These were left to the control of the upper castes who ensured that
the Yadavs and the Kurmis followed the "right" political line. The
Muslims and Dalits came in for some attention largely sops that did
nothing to alleviate their poverty and social suffering.
A Muslim president, a Dalit minister were the Congress answers to
the plight of the people. The real issues remained unaddressed,
artificial issues were created and apparently resolved. The
Bharatiya Janata Party took over the decaying Congress mantle.
Unkempt promises, an empty agenda, soft communalism - eventually
(after 40 long years of patience) these took a toll and the
Congress began to lose its authority in the state.
The BJP stepped into the growing vacuum and unleashed an agenda
which wreaked havoc in the state. For nearly two years the BJP,
aided by a completely out-of-depth Congress, made Uttar Pradesh the
playing field for aggressive communal politics.
The destruction of the Babri mosque, preceded by a strong hate
campaign seeking to destroy the communal harmony of the state, sent
shock waves through the nation. The people tired and completely
disillusioned with the Congress double speech, initially responded
enthusiastically to the BJP's more direct tones. The Congress had
hinted at majority hegemony, the BJP said as much. Unemployment,
abject poverty, acute frustration required a target. The BJP
provided the Muslims as a target a large section of the people
accepted it unquestioningly.
Law and order was non-existent. BJP chief minister Kalyan Singh
unleashed a rule of terror and oppression, the targets being the
poorest of the poor. Oppressive laws were used to arrest innocent
villagers and strike terror in remote villages. The police
brandished its lathi on the poor with the full authority of one who
was assured of political patronage and protection.
Justice took a back seat as the BJP sought to build a base, not on
development and justice, but on injustice and fear.
The political foil to the BJP is the Samajwadi Party and it leader
Mulayam Singh Yadav. He came in to protect the mosque. He did not
succeed but his belligerent presence in the field at a time when
most others had gone underground, delivered results. In that the
Muslims transferred their complete allegiance to him, looking upon
him as the messiah to deliver them from the BJP. The Yadavs and a
section of the Kurmis and other backwards constitute Mulayam's
support base in the state. The Janata Dal died an unnatural death.
The Bahujan Samaj Party under maverick Kanshi Ram came in to
capture the Dalit vote;
In fact riot a single party, except perhaps the BJP has made any
effort to elicit the support of the Dalits - quite content to allow
this impoverished community to be exploited by unscrupulous
politicians like Kanshi Ram and Ms Mayawati. Their only interest
lies in the chair, not in improving the lot of the Dalits who are
at bottom of the scale in Uttar Pradesh's growth graph. To go back
to Mulayam Singh - like two parasites both he and the BJP have made
a fine art of feeding upon the real sentiments and emotions of the
people.
Both need each other to live, for these are inter-dependent
parasites. The hate campaign, the Vitriol used by both Mulayam and
his BJP counterparts has been so shrill that today neither has to
go into any details to elicit the desired reaction. The BJP shouts
"Mulayam" and that is sufficient to mobilise the upper castes on
any point in its favour. Mulayam cries "BJP" and it has the
minorities running for cover under his umbrella. That the umbrella
is full of holes quite escapes their attention, as his loud
rhetoric is seen by the impoverished masses as a sign of invincible
courage,.
Neither has taken ally action for the people whom they have divided
on caste and communal lines. The BJP continues to misrepresent the
Mandal Commission report as a divisive rather than a truly
harmonising document. Mulayam Singh, for his is a one-man party,
continues to use the fear and despair generated by the demolition
of the mosque to his personal advantage. The intention is not to
eradicate the illiteracy, ignorance, impoverishment of the masses,
but to use it for political advantage.
The BJP has been fought fairly successfully at the political level
and can be better challenged through an informed campaign.
It has been reduced to the stature of a political pariah, where
even the Congress finds it difficult to do business with it. It can
be better challenged through an informed campaign, and not through
the rhetoric of fear of the kind used by our Union defence
minister. Such is the level of politics today, that when the home
minister questions the state of affairs in Uttar Pradesh today, the
defence minister rises to contradict him. For two crucial reasons:
one, Mr Gupta's remarks were construed in the limited thinking of
Mr Yadav as being a direct attack on the vested interests
patronised and encouraged by him.
Hence, the full blown campaign in defence of the governor Mr Romesh
Bhandari. For, the Samajwadi chief realised, that any such attack
could have dimensions which would eventually override his authority
in the state. From this arises the second reason behind the
completely unjustified stance.
Mulayam Singh Yadav has begun to look upon Uttar Pradesh as a
personal fiefdom. He cannot tolerate any other party in the state
except the BJP. He worked for the systematic annihilation of the
Janata Dal in the state and was remarkably successful. He flirted
with the BSP but could not continue the dalliance. He helped split
the party.
He annihilated the CPI in UP. The only party he has not touched,
and not even tried to, is the Bharatiya Janata Party. For it keeps
him alive. The other secular groups are a threat to his authority,
and hence Mr Yadav has not been able to accept their existence. The
Muslims are with him for perceived protection. He has done nothing
for the uplift of the vote banks he claims to represent, let alone
the overall development of the state.
Mr Yadav works through a nexus of vested interests
politicians-business-criminal - and political rhetoric of which he
is a master. He can mesmerise the most sceptical of gatherings with
aggressive speech which is a potent mix of candour, guile,
criticism and promise.
The terms of reference have to change if Uttar Pradesh is at all to
be, salvaged. The BJP cannot be resisted through magic potions.
They heady propaganda of communal politics can only be countered
and effectively challenged by a confident, informed, developed
constituency. But then who is talking of the salvation of the
people. It is the deliverance of the politician that we are
concerned about.
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