Mayajaal, yeh Maya hai, Mayawati all the way

Dear Mayawatiji,
Congratulations! Today you created history. You won 207 of the 403 assembly seats in a faction-ridden, fractured political atmosphere that has been the bane of UP politics for the last several decades. You have contributed your bit to the chaos, venality and moral degradation in UP’s governance, but today I shall not be churlish to remind you of them. Today is your day and let me list your achievements.
[1] You will soon be sworn in as the Chief Minister of this politically important state for a 4th time. That is a record. You were also its first woman Dalit CM.
[2] You graduated with a BA from Kalinidi College and later got yourself a Law degree from the same place. You then did your B Ed at Delhi University. Between ‘77 and ‘84, you taught in a number of schools run by Delhi administration. A teacher is a CM of UP. That makes me happy.
[3] You took an active role in the student movements on and off campus and also won a number of debates during your student days. I’m not surprised.
[4] You joined the BSP in ‘84 and after a couple of false starts, won the Lok Sabha seat in ‘89. In ‘94, you went to the Rajya Sabha.
[5] Your innings in UP politics started in ‘95. Your moves to capture and stay in power as CM of this great state did not add to your stature. Even your warmest wishers will not approve of some of the decisions you took. In your hour of glory, may be I should forget them. But we should learn from our past mistakes, right? Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.
[6] Yes, you were allegedly attacked by SP goons in the guest house in ‘95. So you went on to forge an impossible alliance with BJP! What did you have in common with them? You were an avowed leader of the Dalits! All because you wanted to sit in the CM’s hallowed chair? In a few months the alliance came to an abrupt end. Unfortunately this history was repeated in ‘97. This time, you formed a coalition with BJP with the unique agreement that both parties would have its own chief minister by rotation for six months each. However, after your stint of six months, you refused to vacate the seat. You simply withdrew your support to the government. Thanks to that, there were ugly scenes in the UP assembly which ended in unprecedented brickbatting in that august hall.
[7] You became CM in 2002, but had to relinquish office in 2003 when the Taj Corridor scam surfaced and the Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe. You truly left the nation shocked by giving permission for the development of commercial complexes all around this heritage monument and India’s pride. (An aside: I must tell you that there are many in my state who believe that “development” should override all other considerations. You can count them as your supporters.)
[8] You got into the next controversy following your mentor Kanshi Ram’s death. The family went to court saying you had usurped his name, wealth and position. But let’s not get into that now.
[9] During your time as CM, you established the Ambedkar Park, erected a number of statutes for him and started the Ambedkar Vikas Yojna. All these are of dubious merit and failed to cut ice with voters.
[10] But you ran a brilliant campaign in this election. Probably for the first time in Indian political history, you based it on “social engineering”. You systematically wooed the Brahmins. Very shrewdly, you assessed their voting strength. You gave tickets to Tripathis and Mishras. You pulled off what people would have thought impossible. A woman who has consistently projected herself as a Dalit leader now gathers the Brahmins to support her views. In a country reeling under caste considerations and quotas, you got the Brahmins and Dalits to work together for your party’s victory. For that alone, this country owes you a big salute!
In Brahmin dominated areas, your party’s (Bahujan Samaj Party) victory was assured. Your political acumen and your organisational powers were seen in your ability to get your traditional Dalit voters to vote for Muslim and Brahmin candidates where the Dalits were in majority. I don’t think any other party could have done it. They did not. The results prove it.
[11] Your election campaign was unique in another important aspect. In fact, you stood it on its head. The three usual components of campaigns in India (and abroad) went completely missing. (a) There was no election manifesto. (b) There was no feverish campaigning. While the Gandhis and Yadavs fried in the UP summer temperatures, you appeared once or twice in public and that too in an AC-ed van. Shades of you-know-who? (c) You gave the media a complete by-pass. You spent your time talking to groups of supporters and convincing them of your strategy. Hats off to you!
I’m sure even now your campaign strategies are being discussed all over the world. I won’t be surprised if election strategists from the US approach you for advice (a woman could be a candidate for Prez) in the coming months.
[12] Now for what you should be doing. You have a clear mandate. I know you will find representation in your cabinet for the various groups that voted you in. Your organisational abilities should see you through in getting them to work as a cohesive force. With authority vested only in you, that should be possible. We have seen that happen in our state.
[13] What bothers me is this. Will you have something positive to show for 5 years in power? You have time. You don’t have to watch your back or get entangled in coalition “dharma”. Can we expect meaningful governance in UP, that beleagured state? Or will you waste time in foisting and following up cases against your arch enemy?
Mayawatiji, you have the capacity to govern. You just proved it. You stand tall among a maze of inefficient, inept men.
Please use your mandate to pull UP out of its morass of crime, corruption and incompetence. Improve law and order. Deal severely with criminal elements. Create an atmosphere of investor confidence so industries find fertile soil to prosper. UP-iites deserve better governance, better educational opportunities, better jobs. You can do it.
The next time around people should vote not because they have nowhere else to go, but because they are happy with what you did for their lives. Let it be a vote for performance, not for promise.
All the best!

Why not a woman President for India? 3

Zeya has a couple of names for the post of Prez. Here they are. (Hey Zeya, these are very interesting options. Thanks for writing in!)
I would vote for Kiran Bedi.. I have huge respect for her guts and sincerity in bringing the best changes in her each role.
Next one which appeals to me is , Arundharti Roy. Woman has a real passion for helping the poor and she has a name in World.

For more than a year I wrote a weekly column for The Hindu Metro Plus. My topic was “Woman of the Week”. All these women are Chennai-based and have contributed to Chennai life in very different and unique ways.  If you guys are interested I’d love to give thumbnail sketches of some of them in this blog.
The point is, I always asked them who their role models were. This is a cliched question and I didn’t quote them in my write-ups. But a majority of them said Kiren Bedi was the woman who inspired them. In my classes, high school girls repeatedly talk about her quoting the same qualities that Zeya mentions. I don’t know if Ms. Bedi is aware of this, but she has contributed enormously for women’s empowerment simply by being who she is – a woman of courage and integrity. And she took on one of the most corrupt departments in the country.
Arundhati Roy! A writer! Someone who believes in calling a spade a spade (or with her powerful pen, “a personalised eco-unit maintainence tool” )! How interesting! I can see her driving into Rashtrapathi Bhavan in a cloud of controversy. She’s bound to write a new chapter in Indian history. Indian Presidency would never be the same again.