Mayawati detractors to float new party before UP polls

Lucknow, March 29

BSP supremo Mayawati's detractors and family members of her mentor Kanshi Ram appear to be inching closer to evolving an alternative to her party in the coming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2017.

Kanshi Ram's younger brother Dalbara Singh, who has been heading Bahujan Sangharsh Party (Kanshi Ram) since long and been vocal against Mayawati, has got a shot in the arm with those expelled by the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister in the recent past coming to his aid.

"I have been going around telling people how Mayawati has deviated from the mission and path shown by Kanshi Ram. Now, with leaders expelled by her joining me and going public on the realities within the party, there is a visible change in the atmosphere," Singh told PTI.

"There is a clear shift in the people's minds against Mayawati and if they get a viable alternative they will back us," he said, adding Mayawati will never be able to take the place of Kanshi Ram despite her best efforts.

He said, "Our aim is to move Mayawati aside and in 2017, we will be contesting both in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh with our full might.

"While Punjab is his (Kanshi Ram's) 'janma bhoomi' (birth place), Uttar Pradesh is his 'karma bhoomi' (place of work) and we will make every effort to revive his movement with full strength and not just in the name as is being done by Mayawati.

"We will work to prepare the organisation in such a manner that we make our presence felt from Jammu and Kashmir to Kanya Kumari, as was the case in Kanshi Ram's time," Singh said.

All those who follow the policies of Kanshi Ram, including those whom Mayawati expelled from BSP, will be brought together as soon as they start gaining some recognition.

Former BSP minister Daddu Prasad, who recently floated Samajik Parivartan Manch after his expulsion from BSP, said, "In one of his speeches, Kanshi Ram said it is easy to form BSP but difficult to form Bahujan Samaj and our prime endeavour is to set up Bahujan Samaj by bringing together the deprived and downtrodden."

"Kanshi Ram had showed how a poor person can become a ruler when several BSP candidates with no money to fight elections became MLAs in 1993 and that was sort of a revolution," he said.

He, however, rued that Mayawati reduced BSP to the like of any other party in the country.

"Our aim is to provide an alternative to the people against the prevailing politics and if people feel we are rivals to the BSP, I have no objection as we will be taking forward issues shunned by BSP," Prasad said.

When asked about his political plans, he said, "It is too early to say we will be going to polls. But, we are moving in that direction. Dalbara Singh has assured us of his support."                 The graph of BSP has been on the slide ever since 2009 and people are looking for an alternative, he added.

On March 15, Dalbara Singh and Daddu Prasad as well as others like him shared dais here on the occasion of Kanshi Ram's 81st birth anniversary.

They also unveiled a book containing Kanshi Ram's speeches and targeted Mayawati under two different banners - Samajik Parivartan Manch and Manyawar Kanshiram Vichar Manch.

The day was celebrated as Bahujan Samaj Diwas.

PTI