BSP in silent mode, as of now

PARTY leaders go into a huddle, plan to redraw election campaign

LUCKNOW: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leaders went into a huddle following the order of the Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court putting a stay on caste-based rallies.

A meeting of senior party leaders was held on Thursday under the chairmanship of party supremo Mayawati to discuss the fallout of the judgment on the party in the coming Lok Sabha election.

The party leaders refused to comment on the court order. “Party is studying the order,” a BSP leader said adding, “Behanji (Mayawati) is in Lucknow and she would speak over the issue”. The mobile phones of a majority of the BSP leaders were switched off while others remained tight-lipped. The state unit office said a press release would be issued by the party in the evening, which didn’t happen.

In a meeting organised in the state unit office on Wednesday, Mayawati had praised the leaders for the successful organisation of the Brahmin bhai-chara (brotherhood) rally in 38 Lok Sabha seats.

National general secretary and Brahmin face of the party SC Mishra had made a whirlwind tour of the state organis- ing rallies to woo the Brahmin community. On July 7, Mayawati addressed a Brahmin bhaichara rally on Ramabai Ambedkar ground where she called upon the Brahmins to join hand with the Dalits to balance power at the centre.

The Dalit-upper caste-backward combination had helped the BSP in forming government on its own majority in 2007 assembly election. To consolidate the upper caste vote, BSP had mellowed down its Dalit tenor with Mayawati claiming the BSP was now a Sarva Samaj party. She even raised the demand for reservation in government jobs for the poor among the upper castes.

A BSP leader said the party might challenge the high court order in the Supreme Court. “We are awaiting the final order of the court on the issue, he said. In view of the HC order, the party would redraw its strategy,” he said adding each senior leader had been entrusted with the task of wooing his caste to support BSP in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

To persuade other castes, BSP had planned to organise Kshatriya, Vaishya, Maurya, Kushwaha, Pal, Shakya, Saini, Kayastha, Bhumihar, Kurmi and Gujjar/ Jat bhaichara meetings in the run-up to the Lok Sabha election.