UP’s fate hangs in balance under Mulayam

Casteism and communalism prevail

Voters had to choose between ‘Nagraj and Sanpraj’?

By Dr SK Pandey from Lucknow

The poll results in Uttar Pradesh are already out, and by the time this issue reaches the readers’ hands the Samajwadi Party will be in the process of forming the government on its own strength, something not quite expected, although some TV channels did predict that.
Now as the results are already known to everyone, we can do some rethinking and may have an overview of the polls retrospectively. Uttar Pradesh certainly is heading towards yet another term of misrule and anarchy, there is no doubt about it. After all, we are not altogether oblivious of our past experience of bad governance by Mulayam Singh Yadav and his ‘mafia-turned politician’ type cabinet ministers, howsoever short-lived the memory of the electorate might be. And we can’t expect a miracle to happen in UP this time, even though our younger generation is a lot more expectant towards the next-gen leader of the Samajwadi Party – Akhilesh Yadav.

But ‘who to blame?’ for all that is going to happen, is the million-dollar question. Maybe the destiny only. Because, in any case, we can’t blame the people ‘by whom for whom and of whom’ the government is now being formed. Because it is too obvious that people wanted to get rid of the mal-intentioned and most corrupt as well as arrogant Maya rule, in the same way as they had wanted in the year 2007 to get rid of the Mafiosi-run Mulayam rule. The anti-incumbency has worked, but needless to say now that the choice happened to be between the ‘Nagraj and Sanpraj’.

The BJP, which could have been a prospective winner and a better alternative, failed because the majority of floating voters did not want to take a chance. They were extremely determined to dethrone Mayavati, with absolute certainty and at any cost, so much so that they did not want to take any risk. People of the state thought that diverting the votes towards BJP might reduce this chance of overthrowing Mayawati. And whatever be the reasons – the vicious power of casteism and communalism  applied with force – they considered the Samajwadi Party as having the better chance of victory than the BJP, which could not degrade to that level. The striking declaration of Congress leaders also added fuel to this fire. They had proclaimed that it will be a President’s Rule in UP, if no party gains clear majority. In the last few rounds of poll this statement led to further concentration and the tide was turned in favour of Samajwadi Party, apprehending the indirect Congress intervention through President’s Rule in UP.

And this is how the revival of Bharatiya Janata Party could not take place, which was expected, considering the avowed agenda of the masses to uproot corruption, criminality and anarchy from UP. And this was certainly unfortunate for this mafia-ridden state. Anyway, the intellectual community and the middle class educated people in UP feel that the common man needs to be enlightened further, so as to make him rise above the casteistic and selfish considerations in politics.

The results show that the BJP could not prove it credentials. The BJP has to strive hard to regain people’s faith, and to restore its image, which is lost due to the reports of indiscipline in some corners and lack of clean image leadership in the state. The Congress Party already had no chance, as it was taken by the people to be the mother of all corruption and sleaze. But what surprised everyone most was that the BJP could not improve much, in spite of people’s large-scale support for Anna movement and Baba Remdev, and a need for change.

As for the nation, for the state of UP as well, everyone feels that the BJP still is the only viable alternative, if at all we want good governance, clean administration, fair policies, peace and prosperity in the state. But for achieving its ends the BJP has to undergo lot of changes and do some important repair work. It will have to work for making a strong and disciplined organisation and it will also have to stick to its basic tenets. People must get the perception that BJP is not deviating from its proclaimed policies like the uniform civil code and equal opportunity to all regardless of caste and creed. It must become the party with a difference. In short, it needs an image makeover.?