<div>For BSP supremo Mayawati, who was hit hard by large-scale desertions, the expression of solidarity following derogatory remarks by a BJP leader seems to have given a lifeline.<br /><br />That the remarks against Mayawati had triggered a massive outrage among Dalits and also galvanised the BSP workers was evident on the streets of the state capital on Thursday, when they turned out in large numbers to register their protest.<br /><br />The huge crowd of BSP workers virtually brought the state capital to a standstill as they vowed to continue their protest until Daya Shankar Singh, the BJP leader who was expelled from the party after abusing Mayawati, was arrested.<br /><br />“We cannot tolerate such words for ‘behenji’ (sister),” said Rakesh Kumar, a BSP worker, who had come from Jaunpur district, about 200 km from here, to take part in the protest.<br /><br />Another worker, Suchit Ram, who had come from Basti district, also echoed similar sentiments and said the Dalit community was furious by Singh’s remarks.<br /><br />Dalit writers also felt that the drama could push the community closer to Mayawati and deliver a setback to the saffron party’s attempts to make a dent into her vote bank.<br /><br />“Though Dalits would, by and large, have supported Mayawati in the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, the remarks would certainly galvanise them and she may gain electorally,” said Prof Kali Charan Snehi, a faculty at Lucknow University.<br /><br />Speaking to DH, the professor, who is also a Dalit writer, said such remarks in fact were “reflective” of the “anti-Dalit” mindset of a section of the society. <br /><br />Incidentally, the lifeline for Mayawati comes at a time when her party had been hit by a series of desertions by senior leaders, including Swami Prasad Maurya and R K Chaudhary and an aggressive BJP’s efforts to wean away the Dalits from her camp.<br /></div>
<div>For BSP supremo Mayawati, who was hit hard by large-scale desertions, the expression of solidarity following derogatory remarks by a BJP leader seems to have given a lifeline.<br /><br />That the remarks against Mayawati had triggered a massive outrage among Dalits and also galvanised the BSP workers was evident on the streets of the state capital on Thursday, when they turned out in large numbers to register their protest.<br /><br />The huge crowd of BSP workers virtually brought the state capital to a standstill as they vowed to continue their protest until Daya Shankar Singh, the BJP leader who was expelled from the party after abusing Mayawati, was arrested.<br /><br />“We cannot tolerate such words for ‘behenji’ (sister),” said Rakesh Kumar, a BSP worker, who had come from Jaunpur district, about 200 km from here, to take part in the protest.<br /><br />Another worker, Suchit Ram, who had come from Basti district, also echoed similar sentiments and said the Dalit community was furious by Singh’s remarks.<br /><br />Dalit writers also felt that the drama could push the community closer to Mayawati and deliver a setback to the saffron party’s attempts to make a dent into her vote bank.<br /><br />“Though Dalits would, by and large, have supported Mayawati in the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, the remarks would certainly galvanise them and she may gain electorally,” said Prof Kali Charan Snehi, a faculty at Lucknow University.<br /><br />Speaking to DH, the professor, who is also a Dalit writer, said such remarks in fact were “reflective” of the “anti-Dalit” mindset of a section of the society. <br /><br />Incidentally, the lifeline for Mayawati comes at a time when her party had been hit by a series of desertions by senior leaders, including Swami Prasad Maurya and R K Chaudhary and an aggressive BJP’s efforts to wean away the Dalits from her camp.<br /></div>