Commentary/T V R Shenoy

The rise and rise of Kanshi Ram

Let us try to ignore the disgusting scenes created in Rajasthan by a small group of traitors. Why? Good question.

Because Rajasthan is nothing more than a last desperate act by the Congress and its allies. These parties -- which would be better titled business corporations -- are on their last leg. They have repeatedly tried to win power through elections, and repeatedly failed to do so. Defections are the only way they can assume office.

That is as true of the Lok Sabha as of the Rajasthan assembly. But if the once-mighty Congress -- and its offshoots such as the Janata Dal -- are on the wane, who is on the ascendant?

The records of the last general election tell the story. There are only two political formations that have improved their performance. The first, as everyone knows, is the BJP with its allies. The second is the Bahujan Samaj Party.

It is a matter of record that the Janata Dal and the Communists, came to power in spite of winning fewer seats than they had in the last Lok Sabha. So much so that the Election Commission has deprived the Communist Party of India of its stature as a 'national party'!

Which is why I believe we should be paying more attention to the BSP than to problems created by the Congress. Kanshi Ram, after all is a more potent force than the dwindling Sitaram Kesri.

The founder of the BSP is undoubtedly one of the shrewdest politicians in India. He has created a party almost single handed.

But there is an immense difference between the way the BJP and the BSP are trying to achieve power. The BJP has won votes (or lost them!) because it advocates a certain set of values and policies. It chooses allies who have a certain amount of ideological bonding, and does so well before elections are due.

Compare and contrast this with Kanshi Ram's way of operating. He has nothing to import to say on economics or foreign policy. It is a one point policy that he offers: self-respect for the dalits.

This is, in fact, a very important development. Kanshi Ram has taught the dalits that they don't have to beg for 'reservations' (something granted by superiors to inferiors). Instead, he says dalits must assert themselves, becoming rulers and not the ruled.

This is not really a new philosophy. At the beginning of this century, Shri Narayana Guru tried it out in Kerala. But his activities were mostly restricted to social reform. Kanshi Ram is trying it out in the realm of politics and on a far larger scale.

But if Kanshi Ram's ultimate aim is justified, his methods are suspect. He has formed and broken more alliances with more parties than almost anyone else in politics. In the process, he has gained a reputation for unreliability.

'Take advantage of the mutual hatred of other parties to rule alone,' sums up his attitude. Good tactics, but not always.

There comes a point when others decide that they too can play the same game. We have seen the result in Uttar Pradesh, with all the major political groups refusing to renounce their own claims.

When you look at it, Uttar Pradesh sums up Kanshi Ram's dilemma. To what extent is he willing to compromise?

Despite the fact that the BSP is a growing force, it is very far from achieving power on its own. It is not, unlike the BJP, the single largest party. In fact, it isn't even second in line. And in Parliament BSP MPs are lost in the crowd.

At least for the foreseeable future, there is no way whatsoever for Kanshi Ram to lead the Bahujan Samaj Party to Delhi. Not, that is, if he insists on going it alone.

But if the BSP does decide to seek allies, where shall it look? It entered into an alliance with Mulayam Singh Yadav, and that ended in bitterness. Then Mayawati tried to use the BJP as a ladder to power, and that didn't work out either. Next, it allied with the Congress -- and Congressmen like Ghulam Nabi Azad are grumbling that the BSP got the lion's share.

The BSP's freedom to manoevure between rival forces was a benefit of the relative weakness earlier. Now that the BSP is a major power in its own right, it is expected to behave with a sense of gravity to match.

If Kanshi Ram believes that manipulation is the best way to power, then the Congress or the United Front are the obvious options. But can a rising force benefit from friendship with parties whose votes are dwindling?

On the other hand, is there any benefit for the BJP (or whoever) if Kanshi Ram is unwilling to participate in an honest coalition? There is no point in an alliance that doesn't rest on a bedrock of shared principles.

Before the Constitution came into force, the curse of the dalits was untouchability. Today, the BSP, the self-proclaimed voice of the dalits, has the opposite problem -- touchability.

Through careful and ceaseless shifts, it has become a major power. The BSP is the only party that can, conceivably, ally itself to either end of the political spectrum. (One can't imagine, say, Kalyan Singh and Mulayam Singh Yadav in the same boat, but both men can negotiate with Kanshi Ram).

That 'touchability' gives Kanshi Ram several options. But too many choices can be almost as bad as none. Let us hope he chooses wisely and well.