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Rita Bahuguna, Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati, UP politics, Congress bsp politicking

Aroon Sharma
Aug 2009

Factor Rita Bahuguna Joshi has receded into the background. Concededly, she erred, she realized, she apologized, she spent two days behind bars, she is out on bail, and she is fast fading as instant memory. Leading his rooks from the forefront, Rahul Gandhi has castled Mayawati. The Supremo of the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Indian Nation National Congress are sparring on Bundelkhand. And Bitterly at that !

That Rahul has measured upto Mayawati speaks volumes of the Vision 2012 he has about Hindi heartland when its Assembly will go to the hustings. What is worrisome to Mayawati is that Rahul whom she mockingly refers to as Yuvraj was nowhere with 8.5 % vote share in 2007 Assembly polls; has had a quantum leap to 18.3 % vote share in Lok Sabha elections in 2009. Are Rajiv seeds re-sprouting ?

Though the BSP supports the INC at the Centre from outside, its worst fear is a reversal of roles when it seek a re-verdict in UP. Mayawati social engineering has fizzled out as a one time wonder. Pollsters often wonder if the concept was Ambedekarian at all ? Or Nehruvian ? After all social engineering, de facto, stands for a ticket for one, whose community in a constituency ensures his/her winnability. )

Rahul's new found love for Bundelkhand Development Authority could be a cleverly timed diversionary tactic to take heat off Rita Bahuguna. But its fair enough. For it's politics. August 3 last was one such day when Rahul's brainchild literally cried aloud both in Lok Sabha and UP Assembly. Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily hailed it: “Rahul(ji) has come up with an out of the box and innovative idea”

As he stretched the logic that “if you could have a state as unit for development projects, why can't you give it a region?”, the BSP legislators Brijesh Saurabh, O.P. Singh and Ram Sagar Akela moved a resolution in the Assembly that the BDA move “was an encroachment on the rights of the state” buttressing the argument “in 2008, the state had already constituted the Bundelkhand Special Development Authority.”

That Rahul has seasoned enough is all too obvious in the fact that Bundhelkhand Development Authority would encompass two non-Congress ruled states BSP's Uttar Pradesh and BJP's Madhya Pradesh. Intriguing it does sound, but Bundelkhand has 13 districts 7 in UP and 6 in MP all replete with ravines, banditry and backwardness sprawled 7.08 million hectares over undulating hard rocky terrain.

What egged on Rahul Gandhi, and irked Mayawati in May last were the Lok Sabha results: the Congress has re-won 21 seats on the UP side of Bundhelkhand which it had long lost in 1989. Since Rahul chose not to campaign on the MP side, except a visit in passing to Tikamgarh, the Congress scorecard MP is not much to write home about. Maybe because Rahul's prime priority is to get at the reins in UP.

Of this priority of his, Rita Bahuguna-Joshi, for sure, would remain an essential part. That the Congress High Command, led by Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, restricted itself to strong disapproval of her statement involving a crude counter offer of 'cash for rape'. It was an indicator. A doctorate in history, later a professor at her alma mater Allahabad Univerity, she has otherwise been a refined politician.

Certainly, Mayawati will not let her go off the hook so easily since the Acts invoked against her, attract both severe punishment and strong penalty. It would take years for the judgement for or against her. Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress can politik at will to, both project her as a poster woman subject to political atrocity as much as ordinary dalit women in UP are subject to abominable atrocities.

Rita has as much politics in blood as Mayawati has (even as much as Rahul has ), and could be even be projected as the chief ministerial candidate by Rahul -- who himself is inching towards commanding the Centre. That is if the country re-votes UPA-III. Here, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna's daughter has been a survivor like him. Do note that, as an Independent, with SP, support, she became the mayor of Allahabad.

Back to Congress in 2003, she was was anointed the President of All India Mahila Congress; and later the UP Pradesh Congress Chief in 2007. Her will was to contest from Allahabad in April-May last but on Sonia's directive filed papers from Lucknow. As a Brahmin, what is her brief ? AICC General Secretary, incharge UP, Digvijay Singh smiles it away. Rahul Gandhi keeps to himself. Thus, clues are few!

Hitherto, UP had ear splitting thickets of caste. Today, I hear leaves of equality rustle in sync with buds of secularism ! The author hears the melody. Do you?

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