Mulayam does a Maya to get votes from Brahmins

In a bid to cash in on the prevailing indecisiveness of the Brahmin community, which comprises 10 per cent of the total electorate in UP, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has now turned his eyes on the community to reap rich electoral dividends.

The Samajwadi Party has decided to hold a ‘Brahmin Chetna’ rally in Lucknow on November 10. It plans to invite important leaders of the community and announce sops for it. “Brahmins were a neglected lot in the BSP regime. They were humiliated, and only a handful of Brahmin leaders benefitted during the previous government,” said SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary.

He said the party has always accorded due respect to Brahmins, and cited Mulayam’s decision to declare a holiday on ‘Parashuram Jayanti’ to buttress his contention. Parashuram is a Brahmin warrior in Hindu mythology.

Brahmins had strongly supported Bahujan Samaj Party in the 2007 Assembly polls, and together with Dalits, they had helped the party sweep the elections.

However, in the recent Assembly polls, Brahmins did not support BSP. According to SP sources, Mulayam wants to take advantage of the prevailing dilemma in the community. He wants to assure the community that he will do whatever is possible for them.

Political observers attribute Mulayam’s strong opposition to the UPA government’s attempt to reverse the Supreme Court order that scrapped reservation in promotion as his attempt to appease Brahmins and other upper castes.

Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav will also be present at the rally, said Samajwadi Brahmin Sabha state president Manoj Pandey. He said prominent leaders of the Brahmin community will also participate.

“Brahmins are currently in a state of indecisiveness. They are facing a dilemma of sort. They may be looking for a party that can take care of their interests,” said social activist Shiv Pujan Pandey.

Though Brahmins comprise only 10 per cent of the total electorate in UP, their votes assume significance if they are cast in combination with some other community.

The Brahmin-Dalit combination had greatly benefitted Mayawati in 2007 Assembly polls. The SP feels that the support of Brahmins, especially on seats where Yadavs or Muslims were in sizable numbers, could push the party’s tally significantly in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.