Maya sets tone for 2019, says BJP did not fulfil promises
Setting the tone for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on Tuesday called upon the party workers to join hands to throw the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) out of power.
During her address, Mayawati repeatedly used the term “BJP & Company” drawing cheers from party workers. She said BSP was the only party that worked for the interests of Dalits, tribals and OBCs.
“BJP & Company ditched the people. Beware of the BJP and its ploys. Don’t be carried away by their tall claims as the BJP government has not been able to deliver even one-fourth of its promises made ahead of the general elections in 2014,” she said.
“As the issue of construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya is being raised again, it indicates that the dates of Lok Sabha elections may be advanced,” Mayawati said.
Attacking the Centre, she said the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation had hit the economy badly. “Many people have lost jobs,” she said.
Visibly happy over the huge gathering in the rally in Azamgarh, she reminded her party workers that the BJP MPs did not let her speak in the Rajya Sabha on the caste clashes at Shabbirpur village in Saharanpur. “As soon as I stood up to speak on the issue of Saharanpur caste clashes in Rajya Sabha, BJP MPs and ministers didn’t let me speak. They shouted me down. Never before have they opposed me so vehemently. I resigned as I was stopped from raising the issue of Dalits and poor,” she said.
“The BJP won Lok Sabha elections in 2014 by tampering EVMs. This didn’t come to the fore as people were angry with the wrong policies of the Congressled UPA government. The BJP did the same thing in state assembly elections,” she alleged and added that she raised her voice against tampering of EVMs. Terming Saharanpur violence as part of a conspiracy to eliminate her, Mayawati claimed that reliable sources said the BJP wanted to get her murdered if she visited Shabbirpur village to meet Dalits whose houses were set on fire.
“I foiled their plan and exposed them in New Delhi,” she said,
adding that the BJP turned a trivial issue between Kshatriyas and Dalits into caste clash.
While she attacked the BJP and the Congress, Mayawati didn’t mention SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and party president Akhilesh Yadav even once. In a passing reference to the SP, she said the law and order situation in the Yogi Adityanath government was worse than what it was in the previous regime.
Mayawati said the BSP built several monuments after Dalit icons but it were not being maintained properly by the BJP government.