Dalit icon Mayawati is focus of scholar’s research
By IANSMonday, February 14, 2011
DEORIA - Apart from being an icon for millions of Indias Dalits, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has now also become a topic of research for doctorate in philosophy (Ph.D.).
Nagendra Kumar, 31, a teacher at a college here, has completed his Ph.D. that was centred on Mayawati.
It took me over three years to complete my research work,” Nagendra Kumar, who has been awarded the Ph.D. for his research on “Role of Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh politics”, told reporters Monday in Deoria, some 350 km from Lucknow.
The teacher, who prefers not to share information about his research work, said: I can only tell you that my research work that runs into 881 pages covers most of the aspects of Mayawatis life”
“A major part of my work concentrates on the meteoric rise of Mayawati due to her much-talked about social engineering that helped her regain power in 2007, and that too with an absolute majority,” he said.
In the research I have tried to focus on Mayawatis strategy for not limiting herself as a leader of the Dalits By her social remix that involved Brahmins and others from upper castes, she managed to project herself as a leader of the masses,” said the teacher.
Nagendra Kumar, who teaches civics in Deorias Krishi Inter College, has completed his Ph.D. from Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University in Gorakhpur. He was awarded the Ph.D. in the first week of this month.
For his research work, the teacher, who himself is a Dalit, tried his best to meet Mayawati but could not.
I came to Lucknow three times with the desire of meeting the chief minister I even had a questionnaire ready every time. But, citing her (Mayawatis) hectic schedule, the officials did not allow me to meet the chief minister.
Several leaders and ministers of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government led by Mayawati helped Nagendra Kumar by providing him information that he required.
I will not name the ministers, but its true that they helped me a lot in my research work Through them I came to know many interesting facts about Mayawati,” he said.
