BSP plays Hindutva card ahead of assembly polls; Muslim community disappointed

In an effort to appeal to Brahmins and playing the Hindutva card ahead of the upcoming UP assembly polls, the Bahujan Samajwadi Party has disgruntled the minority Muslim community and its own Muslim legislators.

For the first time ever, BSP MP Satish Chandra Mishra kickstarted his campaign with visits to the Ram Janambhoomi and Hanuman Garhi temples, flaunting his Hindu leanings on the party platform. When Mishra took the stage in Ayodhya, chants of Jai Shri Ram filled the air. He further promised that the Ram janmabhoomi temple would be built if BSP comes to power.

"The BSP has shown us that it is no different from the BJP. The party agenda was out in the open in Ayodhya when cries of 'Jai Shri Ram' were chanted from the dais, and Satish Chandra Mishra did not stop them. Moreover, he promised to speed up Ram temple. Is this the 2022 agenda of the BSP?" asked Mohd Qais, a BSP leader from Ambedkar Nagar.

"We do not know who has convinced Behenji (Mayawati) to play the Hindu card like this, but it will cost us dear in the elections. Our cadres still recall the slogan 'Mile Mulayam-Kanshi Ram, hawa mein ud gaye Jai Shri Ram' and now this sudden affinity for Ram?" he queried.

"The BSP is inching towards its doom. After decades of wooing Dalits, the party has suddenly become a subsidiary of the BJP," Rebel BSP MLA Aslam Raini said.

"As it is, the party has negligible representation of OBCs and Muslims in the power hierarchy. The party is led by Brahmins in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Reviving the Bhaichara committee will not serve any purpose unless we have leaders who wield influence over their own communities," said a party functionary.

After the expulsion of senior OBC leaders like Lalji Varma and Ram Achal Rajbhar, with significant influence in their communities, the BSP has lost its base amongst the OBCs and has no OBC face for the upcoming elections.