After Modi Bats For Muslim Women’s Rights, Mayawati Takes The Side Of The Mullahs

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati has come out against the Modi government’s attempts to get rid of the regressive practice of ‘triple talaq’.

Mayawati asked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh not to push its agenda on other religions. She cautioned against politicising the issue while doing exactly the same.

Mayawati came out clearly on the side of the Mullahs today when she suggested that the issue of triple talaq be resolved by the community it concerns.

Yesterday (24 October), Prime Minister Narendra Modi had requested not to treat the contentious issue of triple talaq as a Hindu-Muslim matter. He linked it to women’s rights, which, he said, fell under the development umbrella.

“I am surprised that for vote bank politics, some parties want to keep Muslim women bereft of their natural rights,” Modi had said.

The Times of India recently reported that BSP cadres are now using verses from Quran and Hadees and invoking Muslim past as rulers in their rallies to garner support.

But, why is Mayawati pandering to the Mullahs?

The BSP is not certain of replicating the 2007 success of Dalit-Brahmin consolidation in its favour this time, given the strong position of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Hence the pivot.

This has been evident for some time now. It is being reported that the BSP will allocate more than 120 seats to Muslim candidates. That is almost double the 2007 figure.

Dalit support for the BSP has been declining since 2012, according to the data released by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies. In 2012, Mayawati had lost 23 per cent Jatav (Chamar) votes as compared to 2007 assembly polls. That loss was spread across all sub-regions of Uttar Pradesh, though her maximum losses were in Poorvanchal (-33 per cent) and Bundelkhand (-31 per cent).

Even in 2014, she had lost 16 per cent Jatav and 35 per cent non-jatav votes vis-à-vis the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

Mayawati would also like to seize the opportunity to attract more Muslims by exploiting the exploding family feud within the Samajwadi Party.

Also Read:

Clear Change In Track: What Drives Mayawati’s Outreach To Muslims?