New Delhi (30.06.2021): Does anyone remember Jogendra Nath Mandal? He was, in today's lexicon, a Dalit (Nama Shudra), who, in pre-Independence India, joined hands with MA Jinnah's Muslim league against the sage advice of Babasaheb, and helped the Islamists create Pakistan. Being one of the founding fathers of Pakistan, he was given a few ministerial portfolios till he started talking about the oppression of the Dalits in the newly-formed Islamic Republic. He left, or made to flee Pakistan to save his life, is immaterial. He died a totally disillusioned and unsung death on October 5, 1968, in West Bengal.

No one remembers Mandal today. The irony is that he is not remembered even by those who are seen making feverish efforts to somehow forge a Dalit-Muslim-Christian alliance to take on the timeless Sanatan civilization and culture, sitting in their AC rooms in India and the USA in particular.

In this context, it seems pertinent to recall Baba Karl Marx's extension of the Hegelian dictum of the history repeating itself first time as a tragedy and the second time as a farce (the latter part is attributed to Baba Marx who coined the phrase while commenting on the 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte).

In this light, the political game in UP could be seen following the textbook course. 

The new Dalit chip on the block, Chandrasekhar Azad alias Rawan, is trying to forge an alliance with SP leader Akhilesh Yadav and AIMIM leader Assaduddin Owaisi. His will for power is seen so strong that he refuses to remember what SP did to Behenji during their alliance period on June 2, 1995, in what has come to be termed as the infamous guest house episode. And worse, forgetting what happened to Jogendranath Mandal, he has lent himself to be leveraged by the forces dedicated to Ghazwa-e-Hind.  What perhaps has hurried and hustled Azad is perhaps the rare blood disorder that he suffers from and which could take his precious life any moment in the absence of modern medications.

Like Rawan, other BJP opponents too are seen getting into the act of consolidating their vote banks. Samajwadi Party is seen trying to poach leaders from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) after Behen Mayawati's declaration that she would take the BSP to the polling arena without any alliance. Although some believe that Mayawati might have lost some of her base support to Azad and company, it is not proven and remains to be tested in 2022.

Sources state that the BJP is going the whole hog to bring back its sulking ally Apna Dal led by Anupriya Patel and trying to woo Nishad and Rajbhar voters. It is speculated that in the forthcoming Union Cabinet changes if they take place at all, Ms. Patel may be drafted to the council of ministers. Further, after Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party snapped ties with the BJP in the state, the ruling party sought to pacify that vote base by electing Sakaldeep Rajbhar to Rajya Sabha and will pit him against Om Prakash Rajbhar. Nishad votes may be managed with the help of another Rajya Sabha member Jaiprakash Nishad and Kunbi votes will be managed by Anupriya Patel.

Depending on the emerging alliances, the substantial Brahman voters may decide at the right moment to maximize its gains. At the moment, this voter group is said to be undecided. Though this voter group is not seen to be too happy with its share in the power system, it may not like to burn its bridges with the ruling party as another of its favorite, the Congress Party, is not yet seen to be out of the woods.

The Congress appears to be the only party lagging behind in terms of poll preparations for 2022 which has the maximum chances of winning over angry Brahmin votes to its fold from the BJP but the Congress is losing one after another leader to the BJP. who is likely to be inducted into the Union cabinet.

(By MK Shukla)