Mayawati's aggressive stance on Bhole Baba, why is she taking such a big risk?

Hathras Stampede: Four days after the Hathras incident, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) President Mayawati has attacked Baba Sakar Hari. Mayawati has demanded strict action against Sakar Hari. Mayawati is the first politician from UP to make a statement against Surajpal Jatav alias Sakar Hari. That too at a time when by-elections are proposed on 8 assembly seats in UP. Baba Sakar Hari dominates many of these 8 seats and his supporters play a big role in victory and defeat here.

Baba Sakar Hari is in the headlines for the Hathras incident. It is alleged that after his satsang, a stampede broke out in Fullerai of Sikandrau area of ​​Hathras, due to which 121 people died. UP Police has ordered a judicial inquiry into the matter.

What has Mayawati written on Surajpal Jatav?

Four days after the incident, Mayawati has made a harsh comment about Narayan Hari Sakar alias Bhole Baba. Mayawati wrote- To get rid of poverty and all other problems, the poor, Dalits and victims in the country should not increase their pain and suffering by getting misled by the superstition and hypocrisy of many Babas like Bhole Baba of Hathras. I want to give this advice to everyone.

Mayawati further wrote- To get rid of their problems, these sections will have to change their fate by taking power in their own hands by following the path shown by Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. For this, they will have to join their party BSP. Only then can these people avoid incidents like Hathras.

The BSP supremo has also demanded action against Baba. She has written in her post- Strict action should be taken against Baba Bhole and others who are guilty in the Hathras case. Action is also necessary against other such Babas. In this matter, the government should not be lax in its political interests.

SP, Congress and BJP maintained silence

Be it the ruling party of UP or the opposition, no one has openly opened a front against Baba on the Hathras incident so far. The focus of these parties has been on compensation and getting the rights of the victim.

SP has definitely made administrative negligence an issue, but it has not made any major comment against Baba. On the contrary, the party's general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav declared Baba innocent.

There are 2 major reasons for this-

1. Baba has a large number of supporters in the areas from Mainpuri to Agra. There are 10 Lok Sabha seats and at least 50 assembly seats in these areas.

2. Baba comes from the Dalit community and most of his supporters also belong to this caste. The population of Dalit community in UP is 22 percent, in which 13 percent are Jatavs. In such a situation, the question arises that why has Mayawati taken such a big risk by opening a front against Baba?

Mayawati has nothing left to lose

From 1990 to 2022, BSP had a strong dominance in this area of ​​​​Western UP and Potato Belt, but after 2022, BSP is losing badly from these areas. Currently, BSP has only one MLA in UP, while the number of its MPs has reached zero.

The one MLA who won the election from Mayawati's party also comes from Purvanchal area. In such a situation, Mayawati has nothing special left to lose in these areas. Mayawati is trying to reach out to the people with her old law and order image by targeting Baba.

Efforts to bring back core voters

After 2019, Mayawati's vote percentage is continuously decreasing. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Mayawati's party has got only 9 percent votes. Generally, Mayawati's vote has been around 18-20 percent.

Mayawati's targetting Baba is also being seen from this perspective. In her statement, Mayawati has called BSP a party of Dalits and has appealed to the people that no Baba, but only the government can end their suffering.

Mayawati has also appealed to Dalit voters to come with BSP. According to CSDS, Mayawati got 44 percent votes of Jatav community and 15 percent votes of non-Jatav Dalits in the Lok Sabha elections.

The population of Dalits in UP is about 22 percent. Among them, the number of Jatavs is 13 percent. In UP, 17 Lok Sabha seats and 86 assembly seats are reserved for Dalits.