The Mayawati makeover

From abrasive to urbane, from rusticto sophisticated.Mayawati, chief minister of UP, shows a marked change. RashmeSehgal traces the transformation.Mayawati’s third term as chiefminister of Uttar Pradesh has seen her determined not to repeat the mistakesmade during her earlier two tenures. Her earlier avatars as chief minister sawher being abrasive and downright rude. This time round, she is determined toplay her cards right. Even when Priyanka Gandhi tried to step into her territoryby trying to win over the sizeable Dalit vote, Mayawati kept her cool andrefused to get unduly ruffled.“If Priyanka wanted to take up theDalit cause, she should have dug in her heels in Amethi and put up a fight. Itseems ironical to me that she should choose to take up the case of a singleDalit family without going into the antecedents of the case. The land recordsclearly indicate that the land does not belong to this Dalit family but is ownedby a Thakur,� she points out. Mayawati, looking extremely elegant inher beige salwar kameez and a large ruby pendant glinting at her throat, issitting all by herself in a large, windowless hall in her 5, Kalidas residencein Lucknow. The oily ponytail has given way to a boyish haircut, which framesher round face very effectively. During her earlier tenure, she remaineduncaring about her personal appearance. This time round, readying herself toplay the role of reformer, she is determined to look her best. As part of hernew makeover, she is working hard to ensure that her equations with the uppercastes remain on an even keel. Her recent decision to arrest two MLAs, bothbelonging to the Thakur community, saw several Thakur leaders start a whisperingcampaign against her. Determined to nip this revolt in the bud, she tookup the cause of Babban Singh, one of the largest landowners in Phunnpur village,and accused of being a villain by Priyanka and the Congress. “No person,not even a Dalit can be allowed to take possession of land, which is privatelyowned. As chief minister, I have to ensure that the due process of law isobserved,� says Mayawati with a confident smile. A far cry from June1995, when she aggressively pursued a Dalit agenda at the cost of everythingelse. “Just because I am being fair does not mean that I support themanuwadi forces. By manuwadi I do not mean everyone who was born upper caste,but anyone who discriminates against the lower and downtrodden castes.� Inthe same breath, she goes on to add, “In politics, in order to keep ahead,one must remain pragmatic.� It was this pragmatism that saw herchange her strategy during her last elections and hand out tickets to Brahminsand Thakurs. The strategy paid rich dividends. Not only did she widen her base,but she also succeeded in erasing the stigma of being a diehard Dalit leader. Itis this pragmatic approach, which was behind her decision to enter into analliance with the BJP, a party which many believe is responsible for thecommunal carnage in Gujarat. Mayawati claims, “To stay in power, I mustremain one step ahead of my rivals. Politics is also the art of giving abefitting reply to one’s enemies.� Mayawati’s enemy number oneremains Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav. Her dislike of him is sointense that during the last assembly elections, when he had roped in a starcampaigner like Amitabh Bachchan to provide a boost to his campaign, she saw toit that she accessed every nook and cranny of the state. The result was that shetook her party’s tally to a whopping 98 seats. For a formerschoolteacher, who started her political career by losing the first twoparliamentary elections that she fought, it isn’t bad going at all.“I have reached this position after a lot of effort and hard work. I hadno family or relative to help me as is the case with so many other so-calledleaders. When I first entered politics, several politicians used to make fun ofme. They had money and muscle power and so they could resort to booth capturingand other underhand means to win an election. I had little except my will powerand a sense of determination to achieve my goal,� she avers. Her journeyto help awaken Dalit consciousness and ensure that they attain seats of powerhas been long and arduous. It’s no wonder then that when she became chiefminister for the first time, PV Narasimha Rao described the event as being‘a miracle of democracy’. It was the first time that a Dalit hadbecome the chief executive of a politically sensitive state like UP. During allthree tenures as chief minister, she has been careful not to allow anyone toemerge as a parallel power centre. She was known to be close to BJP leader LaljiTandon. But when she saw him trying to project himself as being number two inher government, she sent all his loyalists packing out of Lucknow. Anembarrassed Tandon has gone into a deep sulk against his‘behenjee’.Known to possess an authoritarian streak, no partyworker is allowed to sit before her on a chair but must squat on the ground. Shehas also made sure that no second-rung leadership is allowed to emerge withinher own party. Mayawati continues to focus on developing a string of Ambedkarvillages in UP. “Villages with a population of over 50 per cent SCs areselected in this category. They are then provided with electricity, water,schools and navigable roads. We also give loans so that the Dalits can buildpucca houses. Twelve thousand such villages have been selected and work is goingfull swing to improve the lot of the villagers,� says Mayawati.Anddespite her new stylish and upper class garb and gestures, one knows where herheart is placed.