WORLD> Asia-Pacific
|
WORLD> Asia-Pacific
|
|
'Untouchable' woman aims to lead India
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-03-17 10:54 NEW DELHI – A firebrand politician, self-styled living goddess and champion of India's most oppressed class is making a powerful, and some say credible, play to become the country's first "untouchable" premier.
Mayawati Kumari, a member of the Dalit community at the bottom of India's caste hierarchy, is chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state which boasts a population roughly the size of Brazil's. Hugely popular with her regional power base, she has now taken her ambitions to the national level ahead of general elections that start next month. On Sunday, she announced her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP, the Dalit Society Party) would contest seats across the country on its own, challenging the two main national parties -- the ruling Congress, and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mayawati first came to power in Uttar Pradesh in 1995, making her the first Dalit to head an Indian state government. She has held the chief minister's post three more times since then and now has her sights set on an even larger prize. "If a Dalit woman like me can become the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh not once but four times, why can I not become the prime minister of India?" she asked party workers last year. In 2007, Time magazine ranked her as the fifteenth most influential person in India and last year the New York Times said the 53-year-old former teacher was "the most important low-caste politician" in India's history. Shunned by higher castes, India's 165 million Dalits perform the lowliest tasks, and are generally poor, illiterate and landless. In the 1930s, Mahatma Gandhi coined the term "Harijan" meaning "Children of God" for Dalits as he strove to improve their lot in society. But despite the formal abolition of "untouchability" under the Indian constitution in 1950, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination reported in 2007 that "de facto segregation persists." With neither the Congress nor the BJP capable of securing an outright majority on their own, some analysts believe Mayawati's prime ministerial aspirations have moved beyond the realm of pipe dreams. "With all the election forecasts predicting a fractured verdict, Mayawati does have an edge," said political analyst and author Rasheed Kidwai. "Uttar Pradesh elects the maximum number of 80 MPs to parliament. So even if her party wins 35-40 seats in the state, she will be in a good position to take a shot at the prime ministership," he said. Dalits have been appointed to some of the highest posts in India -- including the presidency and Supreme Court chief justice -- but none have come as far as Mayawati in the field of electoral politics. Born into a "Chamar" or leatherworkers' family on the outskirts of New Delhi in 1956, Mayawati was studying law when she was talent spotted by the then BSP president Kanshi Ram in the mid-1980s. Ram persuaded her to join politics, telling her "she was born to rule (rather) than to serve". Within a decade, Mayawati had become chief minister. Though her first term lasted less than six months, "Behenji" or "sister" as she is respectfully called, became an instant icon for millions of India's marginalised lower castes. Despite numerous allegations of corruption and unabashed displays of her now substantial personal wealth, her popularity has never waned. At one party fundraising event, she told supporters that they were wasting their money seeking the favour of various Indian deities. "I am your living goddess who has dedicated her entire life for your welfare," she said, urging them to donate funds to her party. In order to move to the prime minister's residence in Delhi, Mayawati will have to broaden her base beyond the Dalit community and also beyond the borders of Uttar Pradesh. Her victory in state polls in 2007 came about after she successfully wooed Muslims and upper caste Brahmins -- a far cry from the days when she famously said the latter should be "beaten" with shoes. According to Mahesh Rangarajan, history professor at Delhi University, a strong BSP showing in the general election could cast Mayawati as kingmaker -- or even bring her the crown itself. "If they are able to add umbrella support beyond her core voters, that will provide her the leverage to negotiate," Rangarajan said. |
