Delhi-based political thinker, very aptly said that Behen Mayawati is still entrapped into the illusion of concept of Sarvajan Samaj. She still thinks that BSP achieved 2007 results because the Savarna castes voted for BSP and that without them she can never repeat the 2007 performance. The rout of BSP in 2014 Loksabha elections has not shaken this illusion of hers.

BSP’s USP was Bahujanwad -85% versus 15%. From 2007 elections BSP, effectively Behen Mayawati has practically buried this Bahujanwad deep into the Arabian sea. In last 10 years, she has never uttered words like Bahujanwad, Manuwad. She has not talked of 85% versus 15%. She diluted the battle cry of a fight against the Manuwadi system.

The moment she diluted the ideology of Bahujanwad and replaced it with this fictitious concept called sarvajanvad, it was the beginning of fall of BSP and Mayawati.

The same thing is being said by Mr Chabndrabhushan Yadav about SP. Akhilesh Yadav forgot the main plank of SP, that is fighting for rights like reservations of the OBCs. Akhilesh did exactly the same that Mayawati did between 2007 to 2012, to keep the Savarna castes happy, to not antagonise them by talking about Manuwad and Bahujanwad.

Akhilesh did this appeasement of savarna castes while in government until March 2017, Mayawati continued to do the same after losing government in 2012 and subsequently even after performing badly in 2014 loksabha elections, she continued to believe in this fictitious concept of Sarvajan.

The MBCs/OBCs like Maurya, Saini, Kushwaha, Rajbhar, Nishads, Kurmis, Muslim Dalits, etc ditched both BSP and SP in 2017 for obvious reasons.

[bctt tweet=”It was Sahab Kanshiram who had a vision and capabilities to bring these MBCs/OBCs into the fold of Bahujan Samaj. ” username=”velivada”]

These were the communities who formed the core vote of BSP along with SCs, for a long time. It is a naked truth that after Kanshiram Sahab, no one in BSP had a vision and strategy to keep these MBCs/OBCs communities under the fold of BSP. All these communities got to understand the importance of their political rights while they were with BSP. After getting disillusioned with BSP and it’s dilution of Bahujanwad, all these communities formed parties of their own. BJP formed an alliance with all these parties in 2017 assembly elections.

BJP hijacked the Bahujanwad of BSP.

While BSP/Mayawati continued their rhetoric on Sarvajan, BJP by forming an alliance with the MBC/OBC communities, hijacked the original game plan of BSP, making a dent in their core vote bank. Modi got into the shoes of Sahab Kanshiram and started talking about Bahujanwad. He appointed the OBC Maurya as BJP state President and gave 163 tickets to OBCs. While BSP lost its most senior and tallest Maurya leader in its fold to BJP. BSP gave just 120 odd tickets to OBC/MBC and wasted 110 tickets on Savarna castes who were never going to vote for BSP.

Savarna castes were never with BSP on ideological ground.

Their heart and spirit have always been in Hindutvawadi BJP, which is quite natural. The voting of savarna castes to BSP in 2007 was a one-time event. [Editor – Even in 2007, we believe savarna’s didn’t vote massively for BSP, it is a media hype.] It was their compulsion to vote for BSP in 2007. The moment they got an opportunity in 2014, they moved away from BSP to BJP. This simple fact has not been realised by BSP leadership till date.

The winner is always the one who understands what his strengths are, he plays on his strengths and manages his weaknesses. The strength time was its battle cry for the unity of 85% Bahujan Samaj to become a ruling class. BSP undermined it’s strength and took the opponents in its own team. This way BSP lost both its purpose as well as its ability to fight.

The way out of this mess for BSP, is to go back to the roots, to the basics, to the Bahujanwad. Discard the Sarvajan (whatever it means) at once.

[bctt tweet=”If BSP leadership fails to do this again, it will never be able to rise.” username=”velivada”]

Different strategy, different results!

Knowing well that Muslims will not vote for BJP, BJP gave 0 tickets to Muslims. Knowing well that Brahmins-Baniya-Thakurs will not vote for BSP, BSP gave 110 tickets to them. I doubt whether BSP’s Savarna candidates and their families including that of Satish Mishra’s have voted for BSP.

Author – Jayant Pathri, views expressed are author’s personal.