Dalit officers in Uttar Pradesh are feeling increasingly alienated in the Mayawati government and some of them are even angry with their “own” government.
The anger of dalit officers has welled up to such an extent that about a dozen of them, some retired, met at a private dinner two days ago and discussed the issue threadbare.
“This was supposed to be “our” government but this time, it is the brahmin officers who have completely influenced the chief minister and barring a few, all dalit officers have been sidelined,” said one dalit officer who has remained sidelined since the past two years.
Another officer who faces a similar fate said, “With dalit officers kept out of the chief minister’s favour, there is no one to protect the interests of the dalit community in the government. Even though the chief minister has formulated schemes for dalits, the benefits are not reaching the target groups because the upper caste officers are showing laxity in implementation.’
The recent removal of additional Cabinet secretary, Netram from his post and Chandra Prakash from the post of IG Lucknow, has clearly sent out wrong signals among dalit bureaucrats.
“Both these officers were removed on recommendations of brahmin bureaucrats and their mentors. This kind of action has a demoralising impact on dalit officers who, in any case, get shunted to inconsequential postings in non-BSP governments,” said the officer.
According to sources, the biggest reason for the growth of BSP and the popularity of the chief minister during her first three regimes was the sincerity of dalit officers towards the government. If the officers are to be believed, the success mantra of the BSP lay in the hands of dalit bureaucrats.
Talking to this correspondent on condition of anonymity, a retired dalit officer who attended the dinner meeting said, “We went out of their way to ensure good governance and protection of dalits in Mayawati regimes. It is because of this that dalits felt safe in the BSP rule and the state machinery was extremely responsive towards the deprived sections of the society. This time, the chief minister has been locked up in an ivory tower and her inaccessibility is the biggest advantage that some upper caste officers are enjoying.” It is noteworthy that senior dalit officers — all of them now retired — fell out of Mayawati’s favour one by one.