In Rajasthan, Maya after lost UP keys

Behen Mayawati didn’t stop at that. She rambled on about the threat from the BJP, clarifying that she is willing to go to prison but would not let anyone hurt her pride. ‘‘Now the BJP-led NDA government is adopting different hathkandas (tactics) to harass me. But I am not afraid. I am ready to go to jail instead of compromising my party’s principles,’’ she said.

After a slew of allegations against the BJP, Mulayam and the Congress, she shifted gears and told her restless audience what she thinks about the ASI and Ayodhya issue. ‘‘We will not let anything happen till the court gives its decision,’’ she said.

In the Pink City to build her party’s base in Rajasthan, Mayawati hit the right note only at the fag end of her hour-long speech. Finally getting over her UP hangover, she talked about Dalit grooms not being allowed to ride horses in Rajasthan villages, Scheduled Class communities not being allowed to draw water from ponds and how the SC/ST Act against atrocities is not being implemented in the state. Then the over 50,000 strong gathering was listening. ‘‘Get the political master key in your hands and see how things change,’’ she told her audience.

Moving on to the burning issue of reservations in Rajasthan, she declared that the BSP is happy with every community and class getting reservation. ‘‘We have no problem with the upper caste getting reservations or the Gujjars being included in the Scheduled Tribe category. Our suggestion is that the bahujan samaj be given 85 per cent reservation and the upper castes 15 per cent,’’ she said from the same spot that Vajpayee had announced his Government’s decision to set up a committee to work out the nitty-gritties of economic reservations.

Officially setting the BSP’s election campaign ball rolling in Rajasthan, Mayawati said if the Scheduled Caste, Tribes and Other Backward Classes come together, they would easily be able to wrest power from the present government.

At present, the BSP has two seats in the 200-member Assembly, but its vote share makes it the third largest party in the state. Also, in the past one year, the party’s membership in the state has increased from less than 50,000 to over four lakh members.

‘‘The BSP will contest all 200 seats in the Vidhan Sabha elections and not have an electoral alliance with anybody. Both the Congress and the BJP, who brought down our government in UP will have to face the backlash in the upcoming elections,’’ said Kailash Meena, BSP state vice-president.

Both the Congress and the BJP are keeping a keen eye on the growth of BSP in the state. The Congress is worried that it may lose its traditional Dalit vote bank to Mayawati. The BJP is keeping their fingers crossed that the transfer of votes takes place so that their overall position strengthens in the state which has about 27 per cent SC/ST votes.