As the BJP continues to follow its Hindutva plank ahead of UP elections, the opposition parties, especially the BSP, are also out to woo Brahmins. BSP national general secretary SC Mishra has been criss-crossing the state to hold ‘prabuddh sammelans’ to win over Brahmins. In an interview to Rajiv Srivastava, Mishra spoke on Hindutva, party’s poll plans and social engineering. Excerpts:
You have completed three phases of BSP’s ‘prabuddh sammelan’. How is the response?
The response has been very good. I have done all this in 2004 and 2007 but I can say that the response has been 3-4 times better than what it used to be in the past.
What could be the reason?
Brahmins feel they have been cheated by the government in the name of Lord Ram as there have been several atrocities on them.
You have been talking about the encounter of Bikru don Vikas Dubey. Are you not eulogizing a hardened criminal?
If Vikas Dubey was a hardened criminal, how did he have connections with senior officers? There are photographs of Dubey with such officers. I have never justified his activities. Had you treated every criminal like Vikas Dubey, there would have been no problem. At least 50 Brahmins are behind the bars in the name of Vikas Dubey. It was not an encounter but a shootout.
But the judicial commission has given a clean chit to cops…
They said witnesses did not turn up to testify. Can clean chit be given like this? Whatever they (Yogi government) wanted has been written in the report. Only those will testify, whom they want to.
If BSP forms government, will there be fresh inquiry into the Vikas Dubey encounter case?
Definitely.
Why do you talk about the encounter only?
I talk about the atrocities on Brahmins. I am talking about those killed and harassed in the name of Dubey. And what about Vivek Tiwari or Rakesh Pandey? What about the trader’s murder in Mahoba where a senior police official is absconding for so long?
What was termed as social engineering in 2007 ended in Brahmin appeasement. Now, you are again at it.
We are not appeasing Brahmins. In 2007 too, social engineering was not appeasement but an effort to bring SCs and Brahmins together. We told Brahmins that they are 16% and if they join hands with Dalits, everyone would get honour.
What happened in 2012?
Brahmins thought they had got everything. Even otherwise, BSP was second on 2/3rd of the seats. We did not lose vote share and bagged 29% votes. In 2017, BJP played the Hindutva card and claimed that all work would be done in the name of Lord Ram.
You are talking about Lord Ram, Lord Krishna and chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ are heard in your meetings? Why this sudden display of devotion to Lord Ram?
My party never stopped me from offering prayer and visiting temples. I have been openly offering prayers. Every year, I organise recitation of the Ramcharitmanas at a temple in New Hyderabad, Lucknow.
BSP chief Mayawati has been saying that such people are ‘manuwadi’.
What does ‘manuwadi’ actually mean? It means there should not be any difference between upper and lower caste.
During his supplementary budget speech, CM Yogi Adityanath said those who never took the name of Lord Ram are bowing before Him. What is your take?
Why is Yogiji having trouble if we are talking about Lord Ram? Do they have exclusive rights? Have they ever thought about Lord Krishna? They just believe in showing off. Had we been showing off, we would not have developed Vrindavan, the abode of Lord Krishna. Can you imagine Vrindavan and Mathura without a sewer system? We provided a sewer line. We spent Rs 550 crore on the development of Vrindavan and Mathura.
What should the majority expect from the BSP if it forms the government in 2022?
The BSP government has never abandoned the places of worship or faith of Hindus. We have carried out so many development works at various places, be it Bithoor (Kanpur) or Varanasi. The only difference is that BJP only makes noise. They have spent Rs 250 crore and organised ‘deepotsav’ and claim they are working for Ayodhya’s development. One can see the poor condition of Ayodhya. Only the BSP can improve the condition in Ayodhya and Vrindavan. Yogiji is the head priest of Gorakshpeeth. He is concerned about Gorakhpur and he is doing work there. Ayodhya is our concern and we will work for it.
There are speculations that you will be the BSP’s CM face in 2022?
This is the handiwork of BJP and other parties. I am toiling hard to ensure that the BSP president becomes UP CM for the fifth time.
The way you are travelling across the state, it appears you are the main leader of the BSP.
I am BSP’s national general secretary. Mayawati held a press conference to announce that she has instructed me to tour the state. I am following the instructions.
After the demise of former CM Kalyan Singh, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav skipped the last rites. How do you see this?
There should not be any politics on the death of a national leader. Mayawati jiwas the first to pay tribute even before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit was planned.
If BSP falls short of numbers, will it go for any alliance, post-poll or pre-poll?
There will not be any alliance.
How would you respond to claims that BSP is BJP’s ‘B team’?
It is being said by those who are in the ‘C and D’ categories of popularity. Those parties are on the verge of extinction.
There are discussions on social media that Mayawati is afraid of action by the BJP government. Is it true?
What action can they take and in which case? Whatever they had to do, they have already done. We contested 110 cases. BJP got CBI raid conducted against behenji and Congress carried the case forward. What was the result? We got clean chit in all the cases.
