Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Rainbow coalition

Ms. Mayawati's rainbow coalition of social groups has stolen the thunder in India's politically most watched State. She gave Brahmins and Dalits almost equal representation in the party. The Brahmin card attracted the voters who would have otherwise voted for the BJP or the Congress. The BSP's victory is a landmark in the history of Dalit empowerment in India. Kanshi Ram would have been a proud man had he been alive today.

Sai Manish,
Chennai

* * *

Ms. Mayawati did the right thing by recognising that Brahmins, the group that was once most hated by the BSP, are also part of the large social spectrum and could play a vital role in social engineering. The alliance of social forces in the State could be a new beginning for Indian politics to move towards a progressive path where caste will have little significance for the voter.

Ravikumar Sreepada,
Jagtial

* * *

The verdict marks the victory of Ms. Mayawati's hitherto untried, innovative, and inclusive social re-engineering that has brought together Brahmins, Muslims, Dalits, and other sections. It is time the parties that have been thriving on the divisive, one-point agenda of anti-Brahminism took a leaf out of the BSP leader's bold initiative and got down to integrating all social groups.

S. Balachandran,
Chennai

* * *

With her emphatic victory, Ms. Mayawati has dealt a humiliating blow to dynastic and obscurantist forces out to destroy the country. Let us hope the social engineering she has ushered in will go a long way in bringing about harmony and amity in the country.

H.R. Ramesh,
Tumkur

* * *

Congratulations to Ms. Mayawati on her victory and enunciation of the new political slogan of sarvajan samaj. It is the real answer to the worn-out secularism of the Congress and the Left, and the neo-secularism of the BJP.

The people of U.P. have given their blessings to the new ideology. I hope it will become popular throughout India in future.

R. Ramachandran,
Coimbatore

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The BSP's victory is another landmark event in the political history of India. The results will pave the way for the creation of new political alignments.

They are a big setback to the Samajwadi Party, which banks on backward caste and minority votes, and the BJP, which banks on forward caste votes. Ms. Mayawati has succeeded in gaining the confidence of the backward sections, the minorities, and the forward castes.

Jetling Yellosa,
Warangal

* * *

Ms. Mayawati's statement that her party's victory is that of sarv samaj rather than bahujan samaj is a lesson to politicians who are trying to divide India on the basis of caste. Unless we move together, we will fail to accomplish the mission of making India a superpower.

K. Parasuraman,
Chennai

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