Bahujan Samajwadi party supremo Mayawati on Monday held a rally in Meerut in order to again get a firm holding in the politics in Uttar Pradesh.
After getting defeated badly in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls earlier this year, BSP was losing its confidence in the state. Party chief Mayawati had also resigned from her Rajya Sabha seat during the Monsoon session in Aug.
Recently the party is gearing back to make its presence be felt in the politics of Uttar Pradesh. Mayawati has a stronghold and support of the schedule cast in the state and to further strengthen her party and win the faith of the people she planned to organise a rally. Since the supremo had resigned on 18, to mark the day she announced to hold a rally on 18th of every Month.
In her first big rally on Monday the chief tried to reconnect again and win the faith of the other backwards classes also by supporting the Mandal Commission report. While addressing the rally she also opposed the ruling BJP. Durig her speech which lasted for an hour, Mayawati reminded the people about the decision of BJP to withdraw support from the then VP Singh government in a hope to woo in the OBC voters.
Attacking the BJP government Mayawati also recalled the Rohith Vemula and Una incidents. She also criticised the Modi government over the decision of demonetisation saying that the decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ban the old currency notes of 500 and 100o did not get back any black money, rather it weakened the economy of India.
Mayawati further blamed the ruling BJP for the Saharanpur Violence and alleged that the during the last state polls in Uttar Pradesh the EVM machines were tampered. She also pointed out the resignation of Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar as law minister on the issue of Hindu Code Bill.
Another major development that took place during the rally was the introduction of the Chief’s brother Anand Kumar, and his young son Akash. The political experts have termed it as the launch of another political dynast. Earlier on the birth anniversary celebrations of B R Ambedkar on April 14, Mayawati had announced the appointment of Anand as the party’s national vice-president. Though she had even made it clear that he will only be helping and advising the party and will not contest any elections. A day later she had also introduced her nephew Akash, a management postgraduate from London, as an ‘upcoming’ party functionary.
Appearing for the rally was the first major party function that the father and son had attended and were introduced officially.
According to the constitution of the BSP party, the Vice President of the party becomes the acting president in the absence of the party President. This move of Mayawati appointing her brother as the Vice President of BSP clearly indicates that she is indirect;y appointing him as her successor.
This move of the party chief is also being speculated as another tactful move to bring the spotlight back to her party by appointing two new faces and gaining back the support of the Dalits, which had dithered away first during the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and then during the Uttar Pradesh elections in 2017. Mayawati’s brother Anand has already been appointed as the vice president of BSP and it is believed that son her nephew Akash will also hold an important post in the party.
During her address, she appealed the gathering to bring down the BJP in the next Lok Sabha Polls due in 2019. It was clear from her speech that the BSP Chief was doing everything possible to win back the faith. BSP had won only 19 seats during the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and this was the worst defeat of the party since 1991. She no doubt has the support if the Schedule caste, but through these rallies which she plans to hold on every 8th of the months, she is also trying to woo in the OBC voters to her side.
BSP claimed that around 1 lakh people had attended the rally held in Meerut’s Vedvyaspuri. BSP plans to cover three divisional headquarters across the state holding total of six rallies on the 18th of every month.