New Social Engineering Agenda of the Bahujan Samaj Party: Implications for State and National Politics

Sudha Pai reflects on new social engineering agenda of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in India and implications for State and National Politics. Dalit assertion today is the handiwork of a post-Independence, educated, selfconfident and politically-aware new generation of Dalits, a product of 'protective discrimination' as well as democratization, who have a new understanding of the Indian state and democracy. The BSP has captured power four times in the state since 1993, mostly with the support of other parties. The BSP emerged in 1984 during a period of rapid democratization of the political system, the decline of the Congress Party, and the growth of identity consciousness among the Dalits in UP. The poor performance of the BSP can be attributed largely to its failure to encourage development on a scale sufficient to satisfy the political/economic expectations of both the upper castes and the demands of its core constituency.