Ever since she put in her papers, Mayawati’s attacks on her erstwhile allies had been getting more and more vitriolic. After the raids, it got even more so. She demanded that assets of ruling party members, including Vajpayee’s immediate family, be probed. Using the raids as an emotional launching pad, she said this would come as a physical blow to her mentor, the ailing Kanshi Ram. While BJP leaders appeared worried about the developing electoral scenario, the Congress seemed extremely conciliatory. The Congress’ Jaipal Reddy went so far as to say that "keeping in view that our ideological views are broadly similar, we can align in the future". So how can Mayawati harm the BJP’s interests? Well, she has the means to tilt the electoral balance in favour of the Congress in Delhi, and can dent the BJP’s chances in MP and Rajasthan.
By Sutapa Mukerjee
