Mayawati back to playing caste card in UP

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) President Mayawati is back to playing the caste card with a vengeance, assigning duties to senior party leaders to address issues and crimes related to their respective caste and community groups.

She has asked these party leaders to visit the spot whenever persons from their caste or community face atrocities, social injustice, or are victims of serious and sensitive crimes and lead the fight for justice for those at the receiving end.

"Special arrangement has been made by the BSP in view of the deteriorating law and order in Uttar Pradesh and the failure of the Yogi Adityanath government to control crimes," she told party leaders.

According to party sources, senior BSP leader Gayacharan Dinkar, who belongs to the Dalit community, will visit the spot in the cases of crime against Dalits and tribals. Lalji Verma will visit places from where crimes against the backward community are reported.

Similarly, Shamshuddin Raeen and party state unit President Munkad Ali will lead the fight for justice for the members of the Muslim community in such cases. While Shamshuddin will raise the issue of atrocities against the Muslims in Lucknow division and four other divisions of western UP, Ali has been entrusted with the task in the remaining 13 divisions.

BSP National General Secretary Satish Chandra Mishra, who is considered the upper caste face of the party, will visit places and spots of crimes against the Brahmins and other upper caste communities.

The BSP supremo's decision to address issues of different castes separately through their respective community leaders is apparently a departure from the party's earlier stand of 'Sarvjan Hitaye Sarvjan Sukhaye'.

Mayawati, interestingly, has never visited or reached out to victims of crimes. She says that she remains preoccupied with the organisational work of her party.