Mayawati's resignation from Rajya Sabha is linked to the past

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati was facing an embarrassing situation in the Rajya Sabha, of which she is a member, after suffering a humiliating defeat in recent assembly election in Uttar Pradesh and was looking for an escape route. The deputy chairman provided him one by refusing to allow more time to her to speak on Tuesday and she grabbed this opportunity with both the hands and announced her exit from the House.

If there are many members who want to speak on an issue and the presiding offer cannot allot more than three or five minutes time to each one of them, members generally demand some more time and if it is refused they sit back, mumbling a few words, at the worst.

The refusal of more time was not provocation enough to resign. Clearly,she chose to do so not for this but some other reasons.

This way she has tried to convey a message not to the deputy chairman P J Kurien but to her Dalit supporters who have largely deserted her leading to her party's crushing defeat. This has provided her a stick to beat the BJP which has caused her the suffering.

It has provided her a topic to discuss during elections next year and subsequent years. She has drawn a blank in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and, therefore, the next general elections are crucial for her. As she had sought more time to speak on Dalit issue she can highlight it during the elections. This may help her regain some lost ground.

It was only the second day of the monsoon session of the House and the Saharanpur Dalit killing issue for which she had sought more time could be discussed on some other days as the current session was ending only next month. But she could not wait as the topic was more suited to her style of politicking. Also the time. The House had assembled for the first time after the U P assembly elections.

The assembly results are noteworthy for one more reason. Her party has won only 19 out of the total 403 elective seats. In comparison to the previous polls it is a virtual rout. Her party had won 80 seats in 2012. Because of this poor performance she was unlikely to be elected to the Rajya Sabha again next year. Her present term expires on April 2 and more than 40 votes were required to be re-elected.

She has drawn a parallel between her resignation and resignation by the Dalit icon B R Ambedar decades ago. But her position and stature are incomparable to him.

The reason behind the comparison may be the desire to raise her position in the party and among the Dalits. Some politicians also do not like to do things quietly.She is one of them. After resigning she held a press conference and shouted loud over the deputy chairman's action.

She had also caused enough embarrassment to some party men by making allegations against the Election Commission and the voting machines as she had backed out when the Commission invited her to prove her point.

May be she is of the view that in politics everything is fair.