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Journalism of Courage
In December 2022, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati replaced Bhim Rajbhar as the party’s state president with Vishwanath Pal, a party faithful from Ayodhya representing the Most Backward Caste (MBC) category among OBCs of the state. With the state urban local body (ULB) polls due, and the 2024 general elections looming in the horizon, Pal spoke to The Indian Express on the BSP’s electoral future. Excerpts:
Vishwanath Pal: The BSP is prepared with its complete strength for both — the urban local body elections and the Lok Sabha polls. During my state-wide tour, I found that workers from the Muslim, OBC and SC/ST communities, as well as those from the Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya communities, are very enthusiastic. If workers of a party are enthusiastic, no one can stop that party from winning elections.
IE: But what is the response among the public?
Vishwanath Pal: As the workers are enthusiastic and party leaders are holding meetings at booth and sector levels in villages and urban areas, workers are reaching out to people and exposing the conspiracy against the BSP. The public supports the BSP too.
IE: What is the conspiracy you talk about?
Vishwanath Pal: The BJP’s publicity system carried out a false propaganda (in the 2022 Assembly polls). Everyone knows that the BSP has 10 MPs in UP whereas the SP has only five. But the BJP’s publicity system presented the BSP as a dummy and the SP as the party in the fight. The BSP, which has around 26 per cent vote base in the form of SCs and STs, was projected as a dummy, whereas the SP, which has no vote base, was highlighted as the party in the contest. The BJP’s propaganda created fear among Muslim voters that if they have to defeat the BJP, they should support the party that’s in the fight. The fight (of the BJP) was with the BSP, but the SP was projected, with the strategy that if Muslims go with the SP, the BJP will win once again. Which is what happened.
The conspiracy was that if 20 per cent Muslims supported the SP, which has only an 8 per cent vote base, that gives them 28 per cent votes. And if 3 per cent other castes support it, then the SP would stop at 31 per cent vote share.
The BSP had around 26 per cent SC/ST support last time. With the support of 20 per cent Muslims, this would have gone up to 46 per cent. OBCs do not want to vote for the SP because SP governments transfer the share of the [government’s largesse earmarked for the] entire OBC community to a single family. So, they go with the BJP. Now that this conspiracy is being exposed, the SC/STs and Muslims are coming towards the BSP. With projected OBC and upper caste support, the BSP’s share can breach 80 per cent. In such a situation, even if only 50 per cent votes are polled, the BSP would romp home.
The BSP came to power in UP in 2007 with the same formula and people of all sections of society benefited from jobs and welfare schemes. People are waiting for it to return, and they find the BSP as the only alternative to defeat the BJP.
The BSP got 10,000 to 90,000 votes on each seat in the last election, but the public discourse was focused on the canard that the BSP was finished. The BSP can never be finished (BSP kabhi khatam nahin ho sakti). The BSP is a mission and struggle of Behenji (Mayawati). Certainly, the future belongs to the BSP.
IE: The BSP started preparations for ULB elections long ago. Mayawati herself screened the candidates. Now that the elections are likely soon, with the OBC commission that would lead to quotas for them having submitted its report, what are the BSP’s chances?
Vishwanath Pal: The BSP’s preparations never stopped. When the BJP found itself in a weak position, it planned a drama. If the BJP government had properly provided reservation to OBCs and SC/STs, nobody would have needed to approach the courts. The BJP feared defeat in the elections and hence it got them postponed. The BSP is completely prepared. In the 2017 polls, the BSP had two mayors in the state whereas the SP didn’t get even one.
IE: The BSP and SP call each other B-teams of the BJP. SP president Akhilesh Yadav is alleging that the BSP’s candidates are finalised in BJP office.
Vishwanath Pal: The SP’s policy is decided at the RSS office. In the Azamgarh Lok Sabha bypoll, although Akhilesh Yadav’s cousin Dharmendra Yadav was contesting, the SP president did not campaign there because the RSS stopped him. But when his wife contested the Mainpuri bypoll, he walked on the streets there. Also, the BJP picked a candidate from SP background. Is that not a collusion of the BJP and SP? Inside the Lok Sabha, an SP leader said that Narendra Modi should return to power [Mulayam Singh Yadav in February 2019]. At the swearing-in ceremony of Yogi Adityanath, two SP leaders were on the stage. Then why is the BSP being called the B-team?
Several SP leaders like Azam Khan, Nahid Hasan, Irfan Solanki, Shahzil Islam and Yaqoob Qureshi faced atrocities, but the SP president did not take notice of the same or stand in their support on the directives of the RSS. BSP tickets are finalised by Behenji (Mayawati). The BSP is working on her strategy and the results will be visible in the forthcoming elections.
IE: After the Prayagraj killing of a witness in the killing of Raju Pal, the BSP called accused Atiq Ahmed an SP product. But the BSP too has in the past given tickets to gangster politician Mukhtar Ansari and his family members. His brother is still a BSP MP.
PAL: The BSP never supports criminals. If any BSP MLA or MP enters the crime world, Behenji does not forgive them. When Behenji was CM, she got a BSP MP arrested from her residence [Umakant Yadav in 2007]. In the BSP, if anybody goes on the wrong path, the party does not tolerate them and hands them over to the law.
Vishwanath Pal: Will Atiq’s wife contest as a BSP candidate?
Vishwanath Pal: When Atiq’s wife joined the BSP, there was no case against her. Since reservation of seats is not clear yet, talk about candidature is meaningless. Behenji has made it clear that she (Shaista Parveen) will be expelled from the party if she is proven guilty.
IE: In 2019, the BSP won 10 Lok Sabha seats by contesting in alliance with the SP. How challenging will it be for BSP to contest without an alliance in 2024?
Vishwanath Pal: There is no challenge. The BSP’s alliance is with the common public, including Muslims, OBCs, SC/STs and upper castes. With their alliance and bhaichara, the BSP will certainly win.
IE: Both the BSP and SP are in the race for Muslim votes. Who is going to get them?
Vishwanath Pal: In the 2022 Assembly polls, Muslims completely supported the SP. Now Muslims have understood that if they have to stop the BJP, then the BSP is the only alternative. Muslims and other communities are coming together to support the BSP and get rid of the prevailing BJP jungle raj.
