http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Mayawatis-maya-showers-on-dalits/articleshow/7363984.cms
Mayawati's 'maya' showers on dalits
Ashish Tripathi, TNN, Jan 26, 2011, 12.43am IST
LUCKNOW: An aggressive Congress trying to make in roads among dalits
and backwards has made chief minister and BSP supremo Mayawati
reinforce her dalit agenda.
Last week, the BSP government decided to reserve 70% seats for
candidates belonging to scheduled castes (SC) and 15% seats for other
backward classes (OBCs) in 50 government industrial training
institutes (ITIs) and four government medical colleges to be set up at
Jalaun, Kannauj, Saharanpur and Ambedkarnagar. Now, Mayawati has
directed officials concerned to expedite the implementation of dalit
welfare schemes and conduct on the spot verification of whether the
benefit has reached the target group or not.
The emphasis is laid on schemes like free housing for poor dalits
under the housing scheme launched in the name of her mentor Kanshiram,
Rs 400 per month to the poor who do not have below poverty line card
or any other certificate which makes them entitled to welfare schemes
meant for poor and downtrodden and implementation of the Forest Rights
Act which provides ownership rights to tribals on forest land. The CM
has instructed officials that the people at grassroot level should get
the feeling that government is working for them.
The move to reserve 70% seats for SC in ITIs and medical colleges is
aimed to blunt the allegations by National SC and ST Commission
chairperson PL Punia that the money given to the state under special
component programme is being misused by the BSP government. Punia as a
bureaucrat was close to Maya at one point of time but after retirement
joined Congress and won Lok Saba elections from Barabanki by getting
substantial dalit votes. Congress has now appointed Punia as chairman
of the commission with cabinet minister status to woo dalits.
Punia has been troubling the BSP government in state by raking up
issues like rise in atrocities on dalits. He has been personally
visiting the places from where crime against dalits are reported. As a
counter, Mayawati has also issued instructions to deal strictly with
any incident of atrocity on dalits. Senior officials such as
commissioners, district magistrates and district police chiefs have
been warned that they would be held responsible for any laxity in the
implementation of the government policies and schemes for dalits.
Maya also made it clear that only a dalit would succeed her as chief
minister of UP, in case she goes to Centre or post fells vacant due to
some other reason. The BSP government had already announced
reservation (21% for SC and 2% for ST) in allotment of construction
contracts upto Rs five lakh in all government departments. She wants
that all work related to dalit welfare schemes and projects should be
implemented by July this year so that she can publicise it thoroughly
before next assembly elections in April-May 2012.
Though dalit form BSP's core vote bank, it had played brahmin card to
win 2007 assembly elections. It came to power with absolute majority
through its dalit-brahmin-muslim combination. BSP also got ample
support of most backward classes (MBCs). However, poor performance in
2009 Lok Sabha polls has made Maya revert to her dalit agenda for 2012
state assembly elections. Taking a head start in comparison to other
parties, she has shortlisted around 200 candidates and remaining will
be selected soon. Total assembly seats are 403.
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