Callous in UP

Mulayams sop promise for educated rape victims is insensitive,inexcusable

Mulayams sop promise for educated rape victims is insensitive,inexcusable

It is open season on committing to sops in Uttar Pradesh. But even the current spiral of competitive bidding cannot excuse Mulayam Singh Yadavs insensitivity in saying that he promised government jobs to educated victims of rape,should his Samajwadi Party be successfully elected to lead the state administration. Speaking at an election rally in Siddharth Nagar district on Sunday,his larger reference was to the incidents of violence against women that politically isolated some members of the Mayawati government. Improvement in law and order was a key concern that had galvanised a rainbow social coalition around her BSP five years ago,sweeping the SP out of power. If Mulayams point was to pin down the BSP government on the issue,his rhetoric was not just misguided,it also betrayed an ignorance about the fine line between getting justice and rehabilitation for the victim and respecting her privacy. In the end,it only reinforced an impression of patriarchy.

However,it is evident that political parties are searching for horizon that measures the aspirations of voters. That includes Mulayams SP. Five years ago,the party misread the mood when its manifesto battled implausible demons such as computers. This time the party promises freebies that include laptops and tablets. The abundance in the Congresss manifesto is awaited,but its vision document for the state emphasises skill development,job creation and micro-credit all,of course,with the overhang of the partys strenuous efforts to claim credit for Centrally propelled entitlement schemes. And the BJP,picking up a good idea from its NDA partner,the JD(U),wants to give free cycles to schoolgirls,while also providing subsidy for students to acquire laptops and tablets provoking the SPs star campaigner,Akhilesh Yadav,to complain that the BJP was copying its sop menu. The BSP prefers separate drafts of its development programmes and public pronouncements to the boundedness of a manifesto,and Chief Minister Mayawati is still reciting the development mantra.

Yet it is hard to shake off the impression that parties are nonetheless behind the curve in their outreach to the voter. They are yet to place her at the centre of their campaigns,and give her the confidence that she is being persuaded by the promise of an administration thats responsive to her aspirations. Simply coasting on anxieties about Mayawatis tenure (SP),about older agendas like the Ram temple and reservations (BJP),or about invisible scabs like Salman Rushdies book (Congress) cannot be enough.