Skip to main content

Empress of Untouchables, ruler of India?


By Aakar Patel

There are three serious candidates for the post of prime minister of India, for which they must get 272 votes in the Lok Sabha.

The first is Congress's Manmohan Singh, whose alliance is predicted to get 220. The second is the BJP's Advani, whose alliance is predicted to get 180. The third is Mayawati, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Her party is not expected to get more than 50 seats on its own. But she is more likely to become PM than Advani.

This is because India's national politics is oriented around opposition to the BJP, which is seen, correctly, as dangerous by most parties. But it is also because the Indian is emotional and believes in symbolism, in the grand moment. And the Untouchables of India, whom Mayawati represents, are owed this moment by India. The world and India will receive news of prime minister Mayawati with warmth.

Not everybody, of course. India's middle class, which is upper caste, hates Mayawati because of the way she looks, and thinks her uncultured. Our response to Untouchables is visceral and will not evaporate with education.

Mayawati is one of India's cleverest politicians, and will without doubt, whether in this election or after this, become prime minister. She is a sensational campaigner. Her opening line is: "Chamari hoon, kunwari hoon, tumhari hoon". I'm a cobbler's daughter; I'm unmarried; I'm yours. She does not pretend to have the Indian woman's coyness. The crowd goes wild.

Having been chief minister of UP four times, but never completing a term, she has openly enriched herself through her position. With no source of income, she pays Rs26 crore in tax last year, showing earnings of Rs80 crore. She explains this as money that her supporters give her in cash because they wish her to be rich. In the last five years, politicians in India have stopped hiding their wealth. She is at the head of this pack; corrupt, certainly, but no hypocrite.

She holds large, and loud, celebrations for her birthday every year. Mayawati was born on 15 January 1956, the year her hero B R Ambedkar died, to Prabhu Das Dayal, a clerk in the postal services. She is one of nine children, including six sons in succession, a matter of pride for her father. Though her Hindi accent is rustic, it might be so deliberately; the Dayals live in a shanty town in Delhi.

Read the full story here.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving comments. You are making this discussion richer and more beneficial to everyone. Do not hold back.

Popular posts from this blog

Mir Chakar Khan Rind - A Warrior Hero Of Baluchistan & Punjab Provinces of Pakistan

By Sikander Hayat The areas comprising the state of Pakistan have a rich history and are steeped in the traditions of martial kind. Tribes which are the foundation stone of Pakistan come from all ethnic groups of Pakistan either they be Sindhi, Balochi, Pathan or Punjabi. One of these men of war & honour were Mir Chakar Khan Rind. He is probably the most famous leader coming out of Baloch ethnic group of Pakistan. Mir Chakar Khan Rind or Chakar-i-Azam (1468 – 1565 ) was a Baloch king and ruler of Satghara in (Southern Pakistani Punjab) in the 15th century. He is considered a folk hero of the Baloch people and an important figure in the Baloch epic Hani and Sheh Mureed. Mir Chakar lived in Sibi in the hills of Balochistan and became the head of Rind tribe at the age of 18 after the death of his father Mir Shahak Khan. Mir Chakar's kingdom was short lived because of a civil war between the Lashari and Rind tribes of Balochistan. Mir Chakar and Mir Gwaharam Khan Lashari, hea...
31 comments
Read more

Siege - A Poem By Ahmad Faraz Against The Dictatorship Of Zia Ul Haq

Related Posts: 1.  Did Muhammad Ali Jinnah Want Pakistan To Be A Theocracy Or A Secular State? 2. The Relationship Between Khadim & Makhdoom In Pakistan 3. Battle for God; Battleground Pakistan - a time has finally come to call a spade a spade 4. Pakistan - Facing Contradictory Strategic Choices In An Uncertain Region 5. Pakistan, Islamic Terror & General Zia-Ul-Haq 6. Why Pakistan Army Must Allow The Democracy To Flourish In Pakistan & Why Pakistanis Must Give Democracy A Chance? 7. A new social contract in Pakistan between the Pakistani Federation and its components 8. Birth of Bangladesh / Secession of East Pakistan & The Sins of Our Fathers 9. Pakistan Army Must Not Intervene In The Current Crisis - Who To Blame For the Present Crisis in Pakistan ? 10. Balochistan - Troubles Of A Demographic Nature
Post a Comment
Read more

Pakistan Army Must Not Intervene In The Current Crisis - Who To Blame For the Present Crisis in Pakistan ?

By Sikander Hayat Another day of agony and despair as Pakistanis live through a period of uncertainty but still I believe that army must not intervene in this crisis. These are the kind of circumstances when army need to show their resolve of not meddling in the political sphere of the country. No doubt that there will be people in the corridors of power and beyond who will be urging the army to step in and ‘save’ the country but let me tell you that country will only be saved if army stays away and let the politicians decide the future of the country, even if it means that there will be clashes on the streets of Islamabad. With free media in place, people are watching with open eyes the parts being played by each and every individual in this current saga. They know who is right and who is wrong and they will eventually decide who stays in power when the next general election comes. Who said that democracy was and orderly and pretty business ; it is anything but. Democracy ...
108 comments
Read more