The columnist is trying hard to hide the fact of the U.P election expecting the readers to be dumb enough to accept his rambling thoughts. Behenji played her cards well and sold her party to the cross section of U.P including those of the Muslim communities and garnering their support got herself elected - the first party to do so with a working Majority since 1991. There is another similarity to 1991 which I will visit again later. From whence did her votes come in???
The S.P of Mulayam Singh Yadav polled almost the same percentage of votes. The Congress party must thank the Gandhis for their campaigning that left them too in the same position they were in at the last elections. Given the sad state of that party they would have definitely done much worse. The votes came from the 'Loser party' the BJP. They did more badly than they did in the 1991 elections! Nazarwalla put it very aptly in his articles in rediffmail - The Hindu Divided Family. They made lofty claims of governing - on their own. They then came down to sitting in opposition and not supporting any party. The bottom-line today is they have such a pathetic showing that no one needs their support.
The readers are subject to some more confused thinking when the columnist in comparing the ruling elite and their favouritism to their kith and kin as Caste ism! The columnist does have that acrobatic (boneless) style of writing that any matter under the sun can be twisted and given spin to suit his party line when he writes.
If there is really an unwillingness of the lower castes to take up priestly duties and their brainwashing into having to belong to their sub castes it actually makes a very strong case for Reservations to these communities so that they - with the education imparted - are able to achieve even more than the so called 'brainy' Brahmins have been doing. That way the very mindset that they are not capable and they too are brainwashed to think that they cannot, tells us of the distances we need to cross to really eradicate the caste system. All men are equal and can do exactly the same things given the opportunity. Inthe US the African Americans were marginalised. Now that they are not we have Condoleeza Rice as secretary of State who is African American - in fact the second after Colin Powell and the time is not far off when there might be a black President!
