At dalit icon anniv, Maya arrives with Brahmin leaders

LUCKNOW: Political parties went all out to capitalise celebration of B R Ambedkar’s birth anniversary as opportunity to reach out to dalits, while Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati chose to project prominent Brahmin leaders of her party during a function at the Ambedkar memorial in Lucknow on Tuesday.
Mayawati was, in fact, escorted by her close aide and the party's Brahmin face Satish Chandra Mishra and former Rajya Sabha MP Brajesh Pathak even as BSP leader and former UP minister Ramveer Updhyay waited on the stage.
Mishra, also BSP's national general secretary, was in for some praise from Mayawati for ensuring good arrangement, essentially for the media, which had thronged the Ambedkar memorial in a large number. Mayawati also praised Naseemuddin Siddiqui, party's Muslim face, who supervised the arrangement at the memorial.
There were dalit leaders like Swami Prasad Maurya too, but he could not attract the attention of the BSP chief, though Mayawati mentioned the name of BSP state president Ram Achal Rajbhar from the OBC.
Mayawati's stance took some party workers by surprise. “They are important people, so they are on stage with Behenji,” said Amarnath Ram, who had come from Mau district. “Brahmin samaj hamare saath kabhi nahi judta (Brahmins never associated themselves with dalits),” he said. Madan Prasad, who had come from Kushinagar, said dalit may transfer their votes to the Brahmin candidates who, however, do not reciprocate.