Mayawati draws spotlight in the US
Uttar Pradesh's firebrand Chief Minister Mayawati has been profiled by the US magazine Newsweek among eight women leaders worldwide who have reached the top despite all odds, with the dalit leader narrating her struggle to rally the oppressed ...
By PTI |
NEW YORK: Uttar Pradesh's firebrand Chief Minister Mayawati has been profiled by the US magazine Newsweek among eight women leaders worldwide who have reached the top despite all odds, with the dalit leader narrating her struggle to rally the oppressed community.
Writing in the magazine, the 51-year-old Bahujan Samaj Party chief, who swept the Assembly elections early this year with a rainbow coalition of dalits, upper castes and Muslims, says her aim is to replicate the victory in the other states and prepare for a bigger struggle to capture power in New Delhi.
Mayawati says her party initially needed an aggressive approach to rally the poor dalits. "Political parties dominated by upper castes got alarmed by the rising masses.
"Their opposition cut short each of my first four stints as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and it became clear we needed to broaden the base to include the poor irrespective of caste or religion," she said.
So, Mayawati says, she organized village-level amity meetings for the poor irrespective of caste or religion. "Our efforts were met with calumny, attacks and lawsuits, but we struggled on, and prevailed in elections this May. For the first time in 17 years, a majority government led by a Dalit is in place in Uttar Pradesh," she adds.
Apart from Mayawati, others who write their success story include CEO of the French Energy Conglomerate "Areva" Anne Lauvergeon and Director General of World Health Organization Margaret Chan.
Writing in the magazine, the 51-year-old Bahujan Samaj Party chief, who swept the Assembly elections early this year with a rainbow coalition of dalits, upper castes and Muslims, says her aim is to replicate the victory in the other states and prepare for a bigger struggle to capture power in New Delhi.
Mayawati says her party initially needed an aggressive approach to rally the poor dalits. "Political parties dominated by upper castes got alarmed by the rising masses.
"Their opposition cut short each of my first four stints as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and it became clear we needed to broaden the base to include the poor irrespective of caste or religion," she said.
So, Mayawati says, she organized village-level amity meetings for the poor irrespective of caste or religion. "Our efforts were met with calumny, attacks and lawsuits, but we struggled on, and prevailed in elections this May. For the first time in 17 years, a majority government led by a Dalit is in place in Uttar Pradesh," she adds.
Apart from Mayawati, others who write their success story include CEO of the French Energy Conglomerate "Areva" Anne Lauvergeon and Director General of World Health Organization Margaret Chan.
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