Pursuing her Dalit agenda, Chief Minister Mayawati invoked party founder Kanshiram and reassured her voters that only a Dalit would succeed her. She also apparently cut to size the “Brahmin face” of the party — Satish Chandra Mishra. She announced that she would herself handle the matters related to the association of upper castes with her party and party general secretary Mishra would concentrate on the legal matters related to the organisation and her government.

Addressing a meeting attended by her party functionaries, including MPs, MLAs and state committee leaders, she reminded them about the earlier days of the BSP and also clarified that she has not showed any special favour to the Brahmin community.

Regarding Mishra, who was present at the meeting, she reportedly said, “He would now give 80 per cent of his time to the legal matters related to the party and remaining for the organisation.” She added that Mishra had requested her to assign him the task considering the growing number of cases against the party.

She said the BSP would always bring the Dalits on the forefront to establish an egalitarian society. She said only a Dalit leader, who must be a loyalist of the party, would succeed her in UP, if she forms her government at the Centre.

She reminded her party leaders about the party’s founder Kanshiram’s view that the opposition parties use different tools to thwart the BSP movement. “Money, media, mafia and judiciary are the tools the opposition uses for obstructing the BSP,” a party MLA recalled from the CM’s speech.

... contd.