Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led governments in the Centre and the state for neglecting vital issues and extolled party workers to put up a strong performance in the upcoming bypolls.
“The central government has not only failed to stem poverty, unemployment, price rise and backwardness, it has not paid attention to these issues because of which there is immense anger among the public. To divert people’s attention...it is indulging in bulldozer politics…and creating disharmony between castes and religions,” she said.
She also listed as ‘conspiracies’ the government’s attempts to bring in a new religious conversion bill, and to weaken the SC/STs through the creamy layer proposals. Plus, her ire was also directed at the proposed amendments in the Waqf Act. She said that the government was ‘unduly’ interfering in the management of these properties.
“The poor and hardworking janta is hungry…only to live with self-respect and dignity”, she said. The former CM was taking stock of preparations for the upcoming bypolls and extolled party workers to ensure a good performance by the party.
Mayawati said that as the BJP had made the bypolls a matter of prestige, her party would put up a strong fight on all seats. Though dates for elections to the 10 seats have not been announced, this is the BSP’s second meeting for election preparations.
Mayawati said that since the BSP was not a party of capitalists, workers would have to work strongly at the zonal level to ensure a strong performance. She said that since the public did not trust the BJP anymore, it was imperative that the party once again inspire people to believe in the BSP’s principle of welfare for all.
Mayawati’s criticism was also directed at the Congress, which she said had given credit to Jawahar Lal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi for reservation instead of Bhim Rao Ambedkar. “This is completely false”, she said.
The Congress, she said, had won seats on the basis of saving reservation but it has adopted an ambiguous attitude towards the matter, and it appears that it was in favour of sub-classification of SC/STs.