The results indicate that crime and corruption by backward or Dalit leaders are as damaging to the poor as crime and corruption of leaders from affluent classes. In a sense, they are more damaging. Backward and Dalit leaders create a dangerous illusion that the poor are being empowered.
Thanks to the democratic process, OBCs and Dalits do have political empowerment. But political empowerment is not translated into economic empowerment of the masses. Instead of injecting beneficial policies for the poor into the system, the politically empowered entrants are quickly sucked into the culture of an exploitative ruling class. Their caste or community votebanks become entrenched because of the pride engendered among followers at their rise in public life. For a Dalit to see a caste member rise to the top may give psychological satisfaction. But does it alter life in material terms?
Political empowerment gives OBC and Dalit leaders control over the levers of patronage for disbursing jobs and grants. In the overall context, this patronage is minuscule. It is like coins to be thrown at beggars. These are gestures to win the hearts of supporters, not policies to improve their lives. The deprived have not reformed the ruling class. The ruling class has subverted the deprived. The exploitative system remains intact.
These thoughts followed reports of the survey conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Election Watch (UPEW), an organisation that is monitoring the current UP assembly elections. The UPEW is headed by a retired DGP of UP, I.C. Dwivedi. Analysing the affidavits filed by the candidates in the first two phases of the campaign, UPEW claimed that BSP topped the list of candidates with criminal backgrounds. One-third of their candidates were facing criminal charges. The BJP followed, with 27.03 per cent. The SP had 26.5 per cent of candidates facing criminal charges. The BSP also topped the list of affluent candidates, followed by the SP and BJP. The average assets of all candidates exceeded one crore rupees. No party has any well-defined agenda for economic reform. So, which party deserves support?
(Puri can be reached at rajinderpuri2000@yahoo.com)
