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New UP Ministry : Social engineering continues |
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The upper castes have a major share of the power pie in the Mayawati Council of Ministers in Uttar Pradesh. Of the 50 Ministers, there are seven Brahmins, four Thakurs and two Bhumihars. However, there is only one Muslim in the Government. The number of Brahmin Ministers is the highest in the state in the past eleven years.
Observers say that Mayawati after tasting success in the Assembly elections is continuing her strategy of social engineering and building an all-caste combination and support base.
In a surprise move, Mayawati’s right hand man, Satish Chandra Mishra, was sworn in on May 16. Mayawati inducted him into the Council of Ministers after securing the resignation of a senior Cabinet Minister Sukhdev Rajbhar, who was later elected Speaker of the State Assembly. Observers say that Satish Chander Mishra has virtually been given the No. 2 spot in the Ministry. Mishra is considered the architect of the BSP’s election strategy of getting the support of the Brahmins and other upper castes.
In the allocation of portfolios, Mayawati has retained with herself 43 major departments, including Home and Finance.
Respite for Mayawati in Taj Corridor Case
The hearing in the Taj Corridor Case against Mayawati was deferred till May 23 as the CBI was yet to get a clearance for prosecuting her. On May 15, the CBI told the court that Governor T.V. Rajeshwar was yet to give his sanction to start the prosecution process. The previous Mulayam Singh Yadav government had sent the file recommending Mayawati’s prosecution on May 9, just two days before the counting of votes in the Assembly elections.
Organisational weakness responsible for Congress defeat : Sonia
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has admitted that the party’s performance in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections was disappointing and said that the organization needs to be built up in the state.
Addressing the Congress Parliamentary Party in New Delhi on May 16, she said that there was a great deal of goodwill and support for the Congress, but it could not be transformed into votes because of organisational problems and weakness. At the same time Sonia Gandhi said that the party had succeeded in ousting the Samajwadi Party from power.
Rahul Gandhi made a similar point while interacting with reporters later. He said, “basically we do not have an organisation there and we have to build one to bring the Congress back in UP.”
UP Congress chief Salman Khurshid, speaking in New Delhi on May 17, accepted full responsibility for what he called “the disappointing outcome” of the Assembly elections.
On the BJP side, former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh has stepped down as in-charge of his party’s UP affairs, owning moral responsibility for the party’s dismal performance in the Assembly elections.
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