Maya once again hints at converting to Buddhism

LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Monday hinted at following in the footsteps of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and convert to Buddhism. She was addressing a rally in Nagpur.

This is not the first time that the BSP chief has expressed her desire to embrace Buddhism. Earlier, while addressing a rally in Azamgarh during the 2017 assembly elections in UP, Mayawati had threatened to quit Hinduism and embrace Buddhism along with her supporters ‘if the saffron brigade did not change its mindset towards the Dalits’.

Again on Tuesday BSP, chief invoked Ambedkar by referring to his statement that though ‘he was born Hindu which was not his choice, but he would not die a Hindu, that is in his hand’.

She said, “My supporters must be thinking as to when she will embrace Buddhism. I will convert to Buddhism at an appropriate time, that is for sure. But the time and date of my conversion to Buddhism is yet to come. Large number of my supporters would convert to Buddhism across the country.”

BSP has strategically selected Nagpur to launch the election campaign of the party chief on October 14. On this date in 1956, architect of India’s Constitution Bhimrao Ambedkar had converted to Buddhism along with around 35,000 followers in Nagpur in a traditional ceremony.

A political observer RK Gautam said, “Mayawati invoked Buddha and Ambedkar to grab the Dalit vote, particularly followers of Ambedkar settled in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. Political compulsions have forced her to delay conversion to Buddhism.”

“Mayawati is aware of the fact that majority of the Dalits in UP are continuing as Hindus. After conversion she will have to shun Hinduism, which might lead to reaction among the schedule caste community as well. To regain the political ground, the BSP is working on social engineering formula that is Dalit, Brahmin and Backward. In 2007 assembly elections, Mayawati became CM riding on the social engineering formula,” he said.

“But successive electoral defeats in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections had eroded the BSP hold over the Dalits. The saffron brigade has made inroad into the BSP vote base. Mayawati is trying to maintain hold on her core support base. She resigned from the Rajya Sabha for not being allowed to speak on Dalit issues. Highlighting her sacrifice for the community, she has cautioned them about the ploy of the saffron brigade to woo the SC community,” he said.

A BSP leader said after Mayawati took over as CM in 2007, Buddhist monk Sthavir G Pragyanand had asked her to embrace Buddhism along with her supporters.

It was Pragyanand (90), who along with four other monks, gave diksha (initiation) to Dr BR Ambedkar in 1956.

“He asked Mayawati to widen the party’s base as religion required political support. The monk told her that if she and her supporters take diksha, Buddhism will spread far and wide in the country,” he said adding, “But Mayawati turned down his proposal,” said the BSP leader who was present during the meeting of the monk with the BSP chief.

Another BSP leader said though Mayawati did not embrace Buddhism, she had followed its tenats and rituals.

“She performed the last rites of Kanshi Ram according to Buddhist practices. Several districts were renamed by her after Buddha when the BSP came to power in 1995, 1997, 2003 and 2007,” he said.