Turning politics upside down

The Indian subcontinent's two iconic female political leaders, Indira Gandhi and Benazir Bhutto, might soon be joined by a completely different type of woman. Kumari Mayawati was born into a low-caste family in the slums of Delhi, not the power and privilege of political dynasty that Gandhi and Bhutto enjoyed. But she has emerged as one of India's most influential politicians, with hero status among India's 170 million low-caste Dalits - the "untouchables" of the ancient Hindu caste system. Mayawati demonstrated her political clout when she led a charge to topple India's Congress Party-led government in a no-confidence vote last Tuesday. Although the government survived the vote by a slim majority, Mayawati emerged at the helm of a new Indian opposition movement amid the political realignments that followed. This new grouping... [read full story]