Bahen Mayawati's 'maya' showers on dalits
LUCKNOW: An aggressive Congress trying to make in roads among dalits and backwards has made chief minister and BSP supremo Mayawati reinforce her dalit agenda.
Last week, the BSP government decided to reserve 70% seats for candidates belonging to scheduled castes (SC) and 15% seats for other backward classes (OBCs) in 50 government industrial training institutes (ITIs) and four government medical colleges to be set up at Jalaun, Kannauj, Saharanpur and Ambedkarnagar. Now, Mayawati has directed officials concerned to expedite the implementation of dalit welfare schemes and conduct on the spot verification of whether the benefit has reached the target group or not.
The emphasis is laid on schemes like free housing for poor dalits under the housing scheme launched in the name of her mentor Kanshiram, Rs 400 per month to the poor who do not have below poverty line card or any other certificate which makes them entitled to welfare schemes meant for poor and downtrodden and implementation of the Forest Rights Act which provides ownership rights to tribals on forest land. The CM has instructed officials that the people at grassroot level should get the feeling that government is working for them.
The move to reserve 70% seats for SC in ITIs and medical colleges is aimed to blunt the allegations by National SC and ST Commission chairperson PL Punia that the money given to the state under special component programme is being misused by the BSP government. Punia as a bureaucrat was close to Maya at one point of time but after retirement joined Congress and won Lok Saba elections from Barabanki by getting substantial dalit votes. Congress has now appointed Punia as chairman of the commission with cabinet minister status to woo dalits.
Punia has been troubling the BSP government in state by raking up issues like rise in atrocities on dalits. He has been personally visiting the places from where crime against dalits are reported. As a counter, Mayawati has also issued instructions to deal strictly with any incident of atrocity on dalits. Senior officials such as commissioners, district magistrates and district police chiefs have been warned that they would be held responsible for any laxity in the implementation of the government policies and schemes for dalits.
Maya also made it clear that only a dalit would succeed her as chief minister of UP, in case she goes to Centre or post fells vacant due to some other reason. The BSP government had already announced reservation (21% for SC and 2% for ST) in allotment of construction contracts upto Rs five lakh in all government departments. She wants that all work related to dalit welfare schemes and projects should be implemented by July this year so that she can publicise it thoroughly before next assembly elections in April-May 2012.
Though dalit form BSP's core vote bank, it had played brahmin card to win 2007 assembly elections. It came to power with absolute majority through its dalit-brahmin-muslim combination. BSP also got ample support of most backward classes (MBCs). However, poor performance in 2009 Lok Sabha polls has made Maya revert to her dalit agenda for 2012 state assembly elections. Taking a head start in comparison to other parties, she has shortlisted around 200 candidates and remaining will be selected soon. Total assembly seats are 403.
Sandip Patil
Mumbai, 8149645674
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