Initially we needed an aggressive approach to rally the poor dalits. Political parties dominated by upper castes got alarmed by the rising masses. Their opposition cut short each of my first four stints as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. It became clear we needed to broaden our base.

So we organised village-level amity meetings for the poor irrespective of caste or religion. Our efforts were met with calumny, attacks and lawsuits, but we struggled on, and prevailed in elections this May. For the first time in 17 years, a majority government led by a dalit is in place in Uttar Pradesh. Our aim now is to replicate the winning formula in other states and prepare for the bigger struggle to capture power in New Delhi.