Mayawati makes brother BSP VP to carry forward party legacy

Bahuajan Samajwadi Party (BSP) supremo on Friday lashed out at the Hindutva forces and made her brother Anand Kumar as BSP vice president to carry forward the party's legacy.

Addressing a large gathering at Ambedkar Park here on the occasion of birth anniversary of Bhimrao Ambedkar and highlighted the plight of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Mayawati informed her party workers that her brother would never contest elections to become an MP and MLA, or chief minister.

"I announce my brother Anand Kumar as the party's national vice president on the condition that he will never become an MP, MLA, or chief minister," she said.

For the first time, she also talked about her health.

"One of the two glands in my throat was removed by doctors in an operation in 1996, and so, I cannot stress my throat too much," Mayawati said.

On the plight of SCs, STs and OBCs, she describe them as 'double slaves' during British rule in India.

"Shudras, ati-Shudras, and other backwards were double ghulams (slaves) during the British rule: first, of the British, and second, of Hindutva forces. They were deprived of rights of study, voting and even doing business. The only work of people from SCs, STs and OBCs was to become slaves of upper caste Hindus. They used to live a life worse than animals," said Mayawati.

"Due to these problems, the SCs, STs and OBCs converted into different religions like Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Parsi," she said, adding that today, 90 percent population of Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Parsis is converted SCs, STs, and OBCs.

The BSP leader said in order to uplift the living standards of SCs, STs and OBCs, late Kanshiram founded the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on April 14, 1984 and decided to take those along who had converted into Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Parsis.

She said keeping the converted SCs, STs and OBCs in mind, Baba Saheb Ambedkar constituted the Indian Constitution on secularism and not on Hinduism.

On the request of Baba Saheb Amdedkar, the British constituted a committee in 1928 to identify Shudras, ati-Shudras and OBCs and made Baba Ambedkar a member of it.

"At that time also, the casteist forces tried hard to put hurdles in the identification of Shudras, ati-Shudras and OBCs fearing if they are identified in large numbers then they might get 'political key' once the British leave India.