In India who is the messiah of the Dalits? The Bahujan Samajwadi Party leader Ms. Mayawati undoubtedly has a greater support base among Dalits of North India but another Dalit politician, the Lok Janshakti Party chief Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, despite of his party not having any significant presence outside Bihar does not want to be left behind in the race. Undeterred by his failure in domestic politics Mr. Paswan has decided to establish an international image by agreeing to chair the International Dalit-Minorities Convention to be held in New York from 4 to 6 July this year. Whether Mr. Paswan’s presence in an international Dalit conference will help him expand his electoral base can be best left to time to tell but holding a conference that expects to solve a problem typical to India on foreign soil, will definitely not help the Dalits in India.

With Ms. Mayawati, coming to power in Uttar Pradesh a new chapter in the Dalit politics has opened in India. Mr. Paswan the Union fertilizer minister has lost his bargaining position as the Dalit leader as Mayawati has come to power without any help from allies especially after her mentor and founder of BSP Kashiram’s demise. It is unfortunate for Paswan that no one in Indian politics is talking about him any more and neither is Ms. Mayawati considering him as her challenger in Dalit politics. While Mayawati relied on the personality of BR Ambedkar and ‘Manubadi’ social organization of India, Paswan rode the 1974 Jayprakash Narayan’s anti-Indira movement to gain political entity.

Mayawati also had some political and social advantage in Uttar Pradesh that Paswan unfortunately missed in Bihar. In Bihar the Dalits who form just over 15% of the total population are economically at a more disadvantageous position compared with their brethren in UP. The Dalits in UP sided with the British in the 1857 Sepoy mutiny to get rid of the local kings and Zaminders who were their exploiters. The cantonment towns gave a big boost to the boot and belt industries that were the main source of livelihood of the Dalits. The Ravidas, the caste to which Mayawati belonged got benefited one way or the other from these developments. Unfortunately, for Paswan the Dalits of Bihar were not so lucky. While the Congress is rethinking of renewing its alliance with Ram Vilas Paswan’s party in the 2009 parliamentary elections, Paswan is now in search for some international recognition.

Source: The Statesman
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