New battle ground drawn in UP?

The Congress-BSP turf war in Uttar Pradesh seems to have intensified in recent times.
Rahul Gandhi's increased frequency of visits in UP, the state once Congress party's bastion, has further infuriated UP Chief Minister Mayawati.

Rahul Gandhi has been wooing Dalit voters in the state, who now form the biggest chunk of Maya's vote bank. His repeated attack on the UP chief minister also fueled the fire.

The Congress, which has been desperately trying to restore its lost pride in the state, openly warmed up to Mayawati before the Assembly polls but the resounding success of the Dalit leader in the elections that followed poured cold water on Congress' plans.

A disappointed Congress, which did very badly in the assembly polls under Rahul Gandhi, realised that without UP, the party's prospects at the Centre were dim.

Congress strategy to field the Gandhi heir in UP politics led to a little sense of insecurity for Maya. She, in order to keep her base intact started attacking Rahul. Now the two parties are engaged in regular verbal duel.

Though, Rahul has been visiting various parts of the state espousing the cause of farmers, Dalits, minorities and OBCs, but the recent by-election results in the state show that Maya's influence does not seem to stop.
Mayawati in her own inimitable style has now demanded that the Centre giver her special package for drought hit Bundelkhand region or else she will withdraw support from the UPA government at the Centre.

The situation seems to have come to a flash point and it is likely that Mayawati will withdraw support any time soon.

Now it is to be seen how it affects at the national level as well crucial state of UP. Right now, BSP seems to have the edge but the Congress is trying hard to revive its past glory in the state, which returns maximum MPs to Parliament.

Is Mayawati's prime ministerial ambition coming in the way for a truce between Congress and BSP?

Is Congress ready to accept the fact that the days of its dominance are gone, and that an assertive Dalit leader like Mayawati should be given the chance to rule the country.

Politics of dynasty

Indian politics has seen many changes, which has resulted in uncomfortable situations for different political parties. Therefore, politicians have resorted to ‘dynastic rule’ in order to recover from debacles in elections.

The mechanism works well as the most important factor that comes with one’s own kin is trust. Since politicians trust their kin, they don’t have any difficulty in handing over power. This change is being witnessed across the political strata. A look at the regional parties depicts the ongoing trend. Whether it’s Abdullah in the north or Karunanidhi in the south, Thackeray in the west or Lalu in the east- all of them have relied heavily on their families to run the affairs of the government.

However, these inheritors may get the power easily, but carrying the legacy forward in an effective manner is a challenge that still remains. The second generation of politicians has failed in fulfilling their forefathers’ dreams, bringing in a lot of instability in political spectrum.

The debate thus revolved around- Is the dynastic rule healthy for the democratic fervour of our country?

Women: Time for Reflection or Celebration

Women, the better half of the more dominant species i.e. men, are still facing the basic question- Are they still better off? Before answering that question, it is very important to understand its contextual relevance in this fast changing world. In present era, which is being governed by the dictum of Globalisation, the opposite gender has made its presence and importance felt considerably. But still, a lot more has to be done in order to bring them at par with men so that they can enjoy the same respect and rights.

In the “shining” India of today, the issue of women empowerment has taken the centre stage and every nook and corner is being looked into in order to provide a strong foundation for the development and empowerment of women. We can celebrate the fact that some things have changed because of the relentless campaigning and struggle by women's groups in India. For example, despite efforts to kill them off before they are born, and after they are born, girls in India are surviving and growing up into confident young women; more girls are now going to school with many of them topping board examinations; women entrepreneurs and managers are making their mark in a world of men; despite the stubborn nature of male politicians with regard to the Women's Bill in Parliament, more women are visible in the political spectrum and in the run up to the general elections. This is just a rough list of the celebrated achievements of the female force in which many others can be added. These clearly reflect the changing persona of feminism in our country that has not remained within the closed walls and has come out to take on the world. It has become a force to reckon.

But, there is also a flip side to this hunky-dory atmosphere. When we sit back and reflect on the rocky road that lies ahead for the majority of the women, we come across some worrying situations like the numbers of women as compared to men continue to decline in India; despite progress in science and medicine, millions of Indian women die each year giving birth; despite changes in the rape laws, the convictions for rape are few and far in between while the incidence of violent crimes continues to grow; despite mountains of words about women's right to participate as equals in politics, the Bill to reserve one-third of the seats in Parliament for women dies an unnatural death in the Lok Sabha. These factors continue to hamper the path of development for the women. So, if the women really have to reach the pinnacle, they have to overcome these.

Fortunately, there have been some success stories that give a glimmer of hope. Recently there was an interview of the daughter of a taxi driver of Mumbai on TV. She, to the amusement of all, spoke in English about her dream of joining the media after her studies, her family and how she plans to fulfill her dreams. Thus, there is not only the likes of Arundhati Roy, Anita Desai or Kiran Bedi who represent the face of the Indian women, it is girls like these that clearly show signs of improvement. Such underprivileged daughters are the real source of inspiration for all those who are not so well off or does not enjoy a good social status. Stories like these drive the development process from the grass root. Yet, the glow from these stories of success, of girls and women who have overcome obstacles to achieve something, should not hide the continuing areas of darkness. The "feel good" motto of the ruling coalition has rubbed off on the media. There is a lot of writing about the achievements of individuals, including women, and institutions. Yet, you hear little about the women away from the media glare, for whom things are not going so well. As a result, it is easy to build an illusionary world, one that highlights the successes without balancing them with failures.
Therefore, we will have to look at both. It is only if we have a real sense of what is happening with women, all women, rich and poor, young and old, can we hope to arrive at strategies and solutions that can make a difference and go beyond rhetoric and tokenism. "Real women" have no problem dealing with both — the celebration and the reflection.