DALITS IN Uttar Pradesh have suddenly gained political importance and after the success of Satish Chandra Mishra’s social engineering formula, which brought the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) back to power in Uttar Pradesh in the 2007 assembly elections, when Mishra consolidated Dalit and Brahmin votes in the state together for the first time.

The results favoured the BSP and Mayawati became the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh with a clear majority in the house. But the condition of Dalits didn’t improve the way the upper caste Brahmins did during Mayawati’s rule who has always been seen as an iconic leader of the Dalit community.

The convener of Jan Sangharsh Morcha and ex-CPM member, Akhilendra Singh, has alleged that the party which came to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2007 after playing the “Dalit card” failed to ameliorate the condition of lakhs of Dalit members who have been living in more or less same conditions like 2007. He said only those who were close to the chief minister Mayawati and were from the upper caste made tremendous progress in their lives.

Singh claimed the game of dividing Dalit community in different castes by the people of saffron brigade would also bring in new political equations in times to come. He said the governance in Uttar Pradesh failed in serving the interest of Dalit community. The people hailing from Pasi, Valmiki, Paswan, Khatik communities feel cheated by this government. He revealed that the government of India had send some 100 crore for the welfare of Valmiki samaj but unfortunately that money was also not utilized for the purpose.

One of the most interesting things, Singh pointed out was ‘total failure’ on the part of state government to give social justice to the Tribals living in the state. “There has been no Tribal representation in the state right from Panchayat level to the Lok Sabha level and this is something really shocking and unbelievable. Even the High Court has given its ruling some four years back for making necessary arrangements in the electoral process for the members of Tribal communities like Kol, Chiru, etc. living in the state. But Mayawati government went on to the Supreme Court and got a stay on the ruling,” informed Singh.

On the issue of giving reservation to Muslims in government jobs under the “quota within the quota” formula, Singh said when the government talked of giving reservation to minorities in jobs then they must follow the ‘Karpuri Thakur formula’ like in Bihar where the state government has given the minorities their due.