Social Justice and Social Engineering in Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

Movement for social justice is not a new phenomenon; this kind of movement initiated in South India at least approximately 100 years before that happened in North India. This was comparatively a late movement but became historical in its nature because South India's movement was against dominance of Brahmins, while they were less in population and the only dominant caste. However, in North India, it was against a group of dominants as Brahmins, Chhatriya, Kayasth and Vaisya, etc., comparatively more number of castes and dominants than South India. While this established a historical achievement, as a Dalit woman, Mayawati become the first chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in India and four times through Dalit movements. The core agenda of these movements was uplifting the poor condition of Dalit and implementing social justice. However, after around decay Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leadership created a new formula to occupy the political power, and she named him ‘Social engineering’. Actually, this social engineering was a tactical and conspicuous move adopted by the BSP. This is a very natural question, which raised by intellectuals of both sides whether Dalit or Brahmins, because the emergence of Dalit movement was established in beginning against Manuvadi and Brahmins supremacy. I tried to understand why BSP, which was anti Brahmins from beginning, diverted their approach and agenda. It is pertinent to share that in Uttar Pradesh, BSP missed an excellent opportunity to polarise to OBC a big chunk of population in own political fold.