Maya has a penchant for personal corruption,her top aide told US

Mishra “has been forthright and frank in his discussions,even to the point of acknowledging Mayawati’s penchant for personal corruption and her strong authoritarian streak,” says the cable,which is dated May 29,2007 — 16 days after Mayawati took oath as chief minister on May 13,2007.

It says,“Mayawati has very weak English language skills and limited exposure to non-Indians and may not be entirely comfortable interacting with Americans. To date,she has preferred to use Mishra in this role,although a future meeting,probably between Mayawati and the Ambassador (with Mishra likely acting as translator) cannot be ruled out.”

The cable says that Mishra is preparing his son to become his successor in the BSP. “Mishra views politics and law as interconnecting the family business with his political activities — a continuation of his father’s activities. Likewise,he is grooming his son to act as his successor both within the family law firm and in the BSP. His son is currently completing his legal studies and working part-time at the firm; he will be taken in as a junior partner shortly. Mishra has already constructed an office for his son in the sprawling office-residential complex that houses the firm. Mishra is very proud of his just-completed office complex with its heavy reliance on state of the art computers (a rarity in UP),and expects his son to keep the firm up to date.”

According to the cable,Mishra was the “mastermind of UP social engineering”. He advocated targeting “Brahmins,who command 13 per cent of the vote in UP,in addition to the 21 per cent strong lower caste electorate to tilt the political balance in favor of the BSP”.

The cable continues,“In early 2005,Mishra tirelessly toured the state advising Brahmins to recognize that they were a powerful vote bank and urging them to unite behind Mayawati. Mishra,who traveled 22,000 km across the 70 districts of Uttar Pradesh holding BSP Brahmin Sammelans (conventions) between July 1,2006 and September 15,2006,emerged as the principal architect of the Brahmin project.”

Mayawati inducted him into her cabinet “without a specific portfolio. Part of Mayawati’s inner circle,Mishra spends time with her and her family on birthdays and holidays. It is reported that Mayawati not only allows Mishra to share the stage with her,but also to interject when she is talking,something no one else in the BSP would dare. Anyone else upstaging Mayawati would be immediately dealt with and disciplined.”

Another cable dated May 22,2007,however,describes Mishra as one of Mayawati’s three powerful advisers. “Mayawati does not take major decisions without first consulting Satish Chandra Mishra (a Brahmin),Nasimuddin Siddiqui (a Muslim),and Babu Singh Khushwaha (a lower caste Hindu).”

A third cable,dated October 9,2007,signals Mishra’s rift with Mayawati. It says,“Businessman Mukesh Jashnani,who claimed to be close to Mayawati’s right hand man Satish Chandra Mishra,told Poloff (US official) that Mishra himself was beginning to doubt the sincerity of Mayawati’s vision of social equity.”

In a cable dated June 19,2007,Jashnani is referred to as a prominent local businessman and “BSP financial backer”.