http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050426/asp/nation/story_4661141.asp
Cloud on Cong’s Brahmin force RADHIKA RAMASESHAN New Delhi, April 25: Is the Congress’s Brahmin lineage, which made it a party as much of the “classes” as of the “masses” in the Hindi heartland for decades, a thing of the past? Some recent events corroborate the perception. Lokpati Tripathi’s death today signalled the end of yet another Congress Brahmin family in Uttar Pradesh. The scion of Pandit Kamlapati Tripathi, former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, had kept the flag flying in a career spanning four decades — he was a cabinet minister in four governments in the seventies and eighties. Lokpati’s son Rajeshpati has contested several Assembly and parliamentary polls, but the “pedigree” did not see him through. Towards the end of his life, Lokpati had reconciled himself to the changed scenario in Uttar Pradesh, in which the once all-mighty Brahmins had been pushed to the fringes by the backward castes and Dalits. Sheila Dikshit belongs to another such family — Uma Shankar Dixit, who belonged to Kannauj in the Avadh region, is her father-in-law. After his death, Dikshit made several attempts to sustain her political career on his legacy, but with no luck. Power in Kannauj had passed from the hands of Brahmins to the Yadavs, who have won almost every election from the Kannauj parliamentary constituency in the post-Mandal era. She moved to Delhi and managed to carve out a niche appeal among the middle and upper classes. Dikshit is now caught in the middle of an inner-party feud. Some other notable Brahmins like H.N. Bahuguna, Rajendra Kumari Vajpayee, N.D. Tiwari and Ratnakar Pandey, too, have not seen their scions gain much from the legacy they were bequeathed to. Bahuguna’s children are in politics but have not made any mark. His daughter Rita Joshi — whose name pops up every time the Congress is to anoint a Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president but who never makes it — is the Mahila Congress chief. His son Vijay was to become Uttaranchal chief minister but was pipped to the post by Tiwari in the “Garhwal versus Kumaon” tussle. His other son, Shekhar, is also out in the cold. With Rajendra Kumari’s death, her only son Ashok is hanging on to the coat-tails of mentor Pramod Tiwari. Tiwari is Uttaranchal chief minister but it is doubtful if he will continue to hold on to the post after the 2007 Assembly elections. As for Pandey, his only title is that of a former Rajya Sabha MP. However, Congress leaders in Uttar Pradesh are unfazed by the fading glory of the “politically pedigreed” Brahmins. They argue that the Gandhi family is the “Banyan tree”, which allows Brahmins to live and grow. However, Rahul Gandhi wants the party to snap out of the upper-caste “hangover” and come to terms with the rising forces — the backward castes and Dalits. The Gandhi scion is reportedly looking at the vast reservoir of “floating” votes of the more backward castes — they are neither fully with the BJP nor Samajwadi Party or the Bahujan Samaj Party — to put the Congress back in the reckoning in his home state. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Has someone you know been affected by illness or disease? Network for Good is THE place to support health awareness efforts! http://us.click.yahoo.com/OCfFmA/UOnJAA/E2hLAA/1dTolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> «¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥««¤»¥«¤»§«¤» This is ZESTCaste whose members watch India's painful journey to society's de-casteisation. Members are encouraged to post messages to ZESTCaste@yahoogroups.com If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join ==theZESTcommunity====================================== [1] ZESTCurrent: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCurrent/ [2] ZESTEconomics: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTEconomics/ [3] ZESTGlobal: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/ [4] ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/ [5] ZESTPoets: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/ [6] ZESTCaste: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ [7] ZESTAlternative: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTAlternative/ [8] TalkZEST: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TalkZEST/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
