BJP to use BSP leaders’ remarks on women

A derogatory remark by its leader against BSP president Mayawati may have upset the BJP’s calculations in Uttar Pradesh where it hoped to make inroads into the dalit vote base but the party is now planning to use the same woman power to make up for the loss.

The BSP tirade against expelled BJP leader Dayashankar Singh focussed on the dalit factor in the insult to

Ms Mayawati, but the BJP is all set to use the woman factor in the BSP’s insult to Dayashankar Singh’s wife, sister and minor daughter to mobilise women voters.

Dayashankar’s wife Swati Singh, who raised the issue of her minor daughter’s trauma and has emerged as an icon of woman power of sorts in the past one week, is now being ardently wooed by state BJP leaders.

In fact, state BJP president Keshav Maurya, even hinted at the possibility of getting Swati to contest the Assembly elections — a statement that he later retracted under obvious pressure from the party leadership.

Swati, who was hospitalised on Tuesday following low blood pressure and chest infection, had several visitors from the party.

“I want the BJP to revoke my husband’s suspension because he has suffered enough for his mistake. If the party does not take him back, I will consider other options,” she said.

The BJP is aware that Swati Singh could be used as their trump card in the upcoming elections as she has emerged as a role model for women as well as a symbol of upper caste pride.

BJP leaders plan to mobilise a minimum of 5000 women in every Assembly segment through meetings and other programmes on this issue.

A senior party leader said, “The loss we may have suffered on the dalit count can easily be compensated by wooing woman voters who outnumber male voters during elections. In 2012, the female voter turnout was 60.2 per cent while the male voter turnout was 58.6 per cent. We can regain our upper caste votes if we... use Swati Singh to counter the BSP campaign.”

The BSP, for electoral reasons, is unwilling to let go of the issue thought it has temporarily decided to go slow. “We will revive the issue when our campaign begins. We do not want to run out of steam at this stage when elections are still a few months away”, said a BSP leader.