Mayawati catalog in U.S leading Magazine ‘Newsweek’

Oct 16: She is among eight outstanding women leaders of the world

Mayawati, the Chief Minister of Northern Indian state Uttar Pradesh managed to catalog her name in “Women and Leadership” series of Newsweek magazine. The magazine has rated her as one of the eight outstanding women leaders who could make it to the top despite of all odds.

Her journey from a teacher in Delhi to a politician, whose enthralling victory, has not been stopped since she came into politics.

On her struggle she writes “I like the competition and I like to win."

She says on her trip to her grandparent’s home in Uttar Pradesh “During these trips I became acutely aware of the oppression that the Dalits in India faced. When I was in eighth grade, I began noticing that our relatives' huts were always in the most neglected and impoverished part of the village. Invariably, the Brahmins and upper castes would occupy the best houses and plots of land.”

'My heart ached, and I asked my father if I could do something to help. My father told me that without a proper education, I would not be able to do anything to help our people,' she adds.

'So my own education became a priority,' she says, adding that education for the weaker sections remains her priority today.

“My parents were apprehensive, because there were clear dangers to my safety; we were shaking up an old, entrenched social and political order that fattened some and impoverished large masses,” she adds.

“As a single woman and a Dalit I faced slurs, neglect, insults and even physical threats. Unlike many Indian leaders, I was not handed down political privileges. I had to struggle very hard for every inch of political space I occupy today.”

On her victory in Uttar Pradesh Election in 2007 she says "our aim now is to replicate the winning formula in other states and prepare for the bigger struggle to capture power in New Delhi."

Stressing her party’s agenda was to mobilize dalit people from UP and all over India she added “Political parties dominated by upper castes got alarmed by the rising masses. Their opposition cut short each of my first four stints as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh."

And later her party realises that it will have to broaden the base "it became clear we needed to broaden the base to include the poor irrespective of caste or religion."

She is accompanied with other eight women leaders from each corner of the world, who reached the summit despite all odds.

CEO of the French Energy Conglomerate Areva Anne Lauvergeon and Director General of World Health Organization Margaret Chan were the other leader who made it to the Newsweek.

Newsweek is an American weekly newsmagazine published in New York City and is distributed throughout the United States and internationally in 12 local language editions. It is the second largest news weekly magazine in the U.S.

Mayawati who is born on January 15, 1956 to a Dalit family, started as a politician on a Dalit platform but slowly she reached out to upper caste and register a sweeping victory in Uttar Pradesh election in 2007. After her mentor Kanshi Ram’s death she became the president of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Mayawati graduated from Kalindi College of Delhi University, took a job as a teacher, acquired a law degree and started preparing for civil services.

She had been Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh three times for brief period.

Mayawati, who in her earlier political career was always found against upper caste and she conotated them as manuvadi.

Over hundred of corruption charges are against her, the infamous corruption charges in upgradation of Taj Corridor case is one where Supreme Court has rejected a plea to carry the further investigation against her.

She erected a number of monuments of Dalit heroes like Bhimrao Ambedkar, Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj, Gautam Buddha. Currently she is investing crores of money in renovating a park.

Under her rainbow coalition she could attract people from all the caste from the state which is known for its caste based politics. Now, she vowed to take similar type of victory at national level.

She is vociferous for poverty-based reservations rather than caste-based reservations.

With her grit and determination she got the recognition not only in India but also in world.