A recalcitrant Mayawati denied the charges, sent prime accused in the MK Gupta case to jail and got a clean chit from Gupta’s family saying they were satisfied with the state police investigations and did not feel the need for a CBI probe. But her birthday shehnai wailed, rather than screamed. No towering cake was cut, and she tried to play messiah by unveiling welfare schemes for the poor. BSP leaders admitted that Gupta’s brutal murder has become a major setback for their 
preparations for the coming Lok Sabha polls.
In Mayawati’s scheme of things the polls are a launch pad for a career in national politics. Buoyed by Communist Party of India’s general secretary AB Bardhan’s projections of her being the next prime minister, Mayawati is leaving no stone unturned to fulfill her dream. From championing the cause of Bahujan (‘majority’, the downtrodden) to Sarvajan (all communities), she has come a long way. While her former advocate general Satish Chandra Mishra is her interface with Brahmans, she has roped in former Union Minister of Congress, Akhilesh Das and perennial party-hopper Naresh Agarwal to woo upper caste Banias.
Sources say BSP might field at least 35 Brahman candidates out of 80 seats from the state for the Parliament. This, along with about a dozen Brahmans in ministerial positions in the state, has made Mayawati’s critics rechristen her party as Brahman Samaj Party. The rising stock of Brahmans in the BSP has eclipsed the Muslim leadership so much that the old Maya loyalist Naseemuddin Siddiqi – who was till last month in charge of not just UP but Delhi polls too – has been asked to take care of party’s Muslim constituency only.....Continue
preparations for the coming Lok Sabha polls.In Mayawati’s scheme of things the polls are a launch pad for a career in national politics. Buoyed by Communist Party of India’s general secretary AB Bardhan’s projections of her being the next prime minister, Mayawati is leaving no stone unturned to fulfill her dream. From championing the cause of Bahujan (‘majority’, the downtrodden) to Sarvajan (all communities), she has come a long way. While her former advocate general Satish Chandra Mishra is her interface with Brahmans, she has roped in former Union Minister of Congress, Akhilesh Das and perennial party-hopper Naresh Agarwal to woo upper caste Banias.
Sources say BSP might field at least 35 Brahman candidates out of 80 seats from the state for the Parliament. This, along with about a dozen Brahmans in ministerial positions in the state, has made Mayawati’s critics rechristen her party as Brahman Samaj Party. The rising stock of Brahmans in the BSP has eclipsed the Muslim leadership so much that the old Maya loyalist Naseemuddin Siddiqi – who was till last month in charge of not just UP but Delhi polls too – has been asked to take care of party’s Muslim constituency only.....Continue
