Retd UP babus set for politics

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Weary of trying to find a foothold in various political parties, retired IAS officers in Uttar Pradesh are now planning to launch their own political parties.
One such officer, Dr Chandrapal, has recently launched his Adarsh Samaj Party and more are on their way.
Incidentally, majority of the retired IAS officers who are planning a career in politics are dalits and have positioned themselves against the Bahujan Samaj Party. These officers are sufficiently encouraged by the success of their erstwhile colleague P.L. Punia, who is not only a Congress MP, but also heads the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC).
Dr Chandrapal says, “The Mayawati regime has failed to check atrocities on dalits and has not ensured their economic upliftment. Carving stone memorials will not guarantee a square meal for dalit families who now need economic protection and social respect also. In such a situation, we have no alternative but to form our own party that will sincerely address issues related to dalits.”
Another retired officer Harish Chandra who heads the Bhartiya Janwadi Party is equally critical of the Mayawati government and says that dalits have suffered the most in the BSP regime. “Women have been at the receiving end even though a woman heads the government,” he adds.
If sources are to be believed, at least three more retired bureaucrats are planning to float their own parties and target the BSP in the next elections.
“As retired bureaucrats, we cannot be expected to start from a scratch in other established political parties. Floating our own outfits is a better option and we already have our own strong group of supporters. Besides, having interacted with the people at all levels during our career, we have a fair idea of what goes wrong where and how to set it right. This is a major advantage for us,” says one such bureaucrat who plans to launch his political party by summer this year.
Though these bureaucrats are launching separate political outfits, they agree that this would lead to a division in the anti-Mayawati dalit vote and benefit the BSP indirectly.
“We have our own egos and issues during service which is preventing us from coming together under one umbrella. However, once everyone realises the political compulsions, it is will easy to merge our resources and fight collectively. This should happen by the time elections arrive in UP,” said a senior retired officer.