LUCKNOW: Kalyan Singh, who was awarded the Padma Vibhushan posthumously on the eve of Republic Day, was the first BJP CM UP who became the top leaders of political parties in the country to carve a balance between narrative and political Hindutva OBC.
Until 1989, these Kalyan limited political status with the OBC leader.
In 1989, the VP Singh government tried to implement the Mandal Commission report leading to a national commotion.
In the same year, Kalyan Singh reached the office of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh in the Model House of Lucknow.
Incidentally, then Bhaurao Deoras RSS functionaries were also present on the first floor of the office RSS.
When Kalyan learn about the presence of the leader of the RSS, he sent messengers to seek an appointment with Deoras.
RSS leader, sipping tea, immediately called him upstairs.
At the meeting Deoras, Kalyan Singh expressed concern about the caste divide following the implementation of the Mandal Commission.
RSS leader said Kalyan is not worried and even asked him to start a tour of the country with the aim of uniting Hindus.
The more intense the Ram temple movement will be, less effective will be the implementation of the Mandal Report, Deoras argued.
Being Swayamsevak discipline, Kalyan Singh heed the advice and started touring the country, brought to the front.
Ram temple movement.
He made an attempt to unite as Hindu OBC.
While on a visit to Prayagraj (Allahabad later) he was arrested on the street and became the first BJP leader who was arrested for leading the Ram Temple movement in the state.
Until his arrest, Kalyan is one of the leaders in the BJP Lodh who stand up to another retreat leader Mulayam Singh Yadav (who was with the Janata Dal).
While leading the Ram Temple movement, Kalyan also unite several smaller OBC castes such as binding, mallahs, kashyaps and emerged as a strong OBC leader and BJP’s Hindutva mascot.
He was also able to unite several smaller caste non-Yadav OBC comprising about 17% of the OBC – more than one single OBC caste, either Yadav or Kurmis.
In his speech, Kalyan focused on uniting every caste, for the people and the Lord Ram.
This narrative proved to be beneficial for him.
Kalyan Singh became the leader of 17% OBC and in doing so also emerged as a Hindutva mascot and facial movement in UP temple.
Prior to this, Kalyan Singh has become the head of UP BJP after the death of the incumbent Madhav Prasad Tripathi, founder president of the party.
Until 1989, the BJP has a thin presence in UP Assembly: 11 MLAs in 1980; 16 in 1985 and 57 in 1989.
However, after Kalyan able to establish itself as a Hindutva poster boy, luck party began to soar.
It won a majority for the first time in 1991 elections and Singh anointed as BJP’s first CM UP.
But lotus again began to wither after Kalyan left the party following a dispute with the central leadership of the BJP.
Results: BJP went into oblivion until 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
A few months before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah, who was responsible for the UP BJP, Kalyan Singh visited the residence to seek His guidance.
Shah took the mantra of success of Singh and start implementing it in UP BJP.
A senior BJP leader told TOI that this Kalyan Shah visited the house four or five times before setting the UP BJP in order.
kalyan formula came to be exhibited for the first time when the party fielded 30 candidates in the 2014 elections OBC while in 2009 Lok Sabha polls was only given 13 tickets for the OBC.
OBC outreach mixed with BJP’s Hindutva plank saws registering winning record in 71 of the 80 LS seats in the state.
Since the BJP has stuck to the formula Kalyan, so the winning streak in 2017 Assembly elections and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Kalyan Singh also can be credited for ending the caste divide is rooted in UP by uniting as Hindu OBC along with the upper caste, said a political analyst.