A pawn... even in death

The Samajwadi Party is using Phoolan Devi's murder as ammunition in its battle with the BJP. K. V. Prasad reports.

BARELY A couple of hours after the gunning down of the Samajwadi Party MP, Phoolan Devi, the party general secretary, Mr. Amar Singh, went public blaming the BJP-led Government for reducing the security for her. The murder, that too in a high-security zone in New Delhi, has given the Samajwadi Party ammunition in its battle with the BJP, its main political opponent in Uttar Pradesh.

At the heart of the matter was the fight to win the Most Backward Caste constituency. The Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, another prime contender for power in Uttar Pradesh, have both been worked up ever since the Chief Minister, Mr. Rajnath Singh, announced a committee to consider a quota for Most Backward Castes within the existing reservation for Other Backward Castes.

Phoolan Devi belonged to one of the Most Backward Castes - Mallah (boatmen) - and the Samajwadi Party decided to cash in on this. It insisted on cremating her at Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh and not New Delhi as her family had wanted. Political considerations prevailed over personal preferences. Sobbing relatives and shrieking party workers completed the picture, shown across the country on TV. .

Yet, it remains to be seen whether the Samajwadi Party can sustain it till the elections which are still months away. A factor peculiar to Uttar Pradesh is that political workers need a ``warm-up'' before the polls. This issue fits the bill. Can the Samjwadi Party keep up the pressure?

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Section  : Opinion
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