Some BJP leaders undermine the party’s cause and subsequent damage control measures do not undo the mischief. The BJP took strong measures against the party Vice President in UP, Dayashankar Singh, for calling Mayawati a prostitute among other things. Its upshot was that Mayawati was on the warpath in Parliament. She eloquently traced the long history of atrocities against Dalits and also pointed out, not without reason, that the Congress and the BJP pay only lip service to their belief in the Dalit cause. They hardly ever take steps against violence done to Dalits. She projected herself as a champion of the Dalits at a time when Dalit unrest is on the boil in Gujarat. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has got a shot in the arm despite recent defections. The BJP has suffered a setback to its effort to promote social engineering by professing to be with the Dalits. All this has assumed special importance because of the coming UP elections. Dalits constitute 20% of the population in UP and is a decisive factor in the state’s electoral verdicts.
The BJP has gone down in most elections of late, most importantly in Bihar. It has to recast the mindset that lurks behind many of its political stances and provocative statements made by some of its leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sometimes taken action to cleanse his party of unhealthy elements. But more has to be done to shun alliances with divisive agencies and to be culturally more inclusive. The hold of the RSS should be minimised. Mayawati has seized the day to air Dalit concerns and put out the Dalit flag. She has asked for their physical safety and greater representation especially in the judiciary. She has a distinct edge over the BJP and the Congress in rallying Dalits to her banner.