The Hindu : National : Be wary of Opposition designs: Mayawati

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Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007
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National

Be wary of Opposition designs: Mayawati

Atiq Khan

BSP supremo exhorts workers to expand party base by strengthening Dalit-Brahmin alliance

Photo: Subir Roy

Tributes to her mentor: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati paying floral tributes to Kanshi Ram and Bhim Rao Ambedkar at the Lucknow rally on Tuesday.

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Tuesday cautioned the “sarv samaj” against the machinations of the Opposition parties, especially the Samajwadi Party and the Congress.

She was addressing a mammoth “Saavdhaan raho aage badho” (be cautious and move forward) rally on the Ramabai Ambedkar Maidan here on the occasion of her mentor Kanshi Ram’s first death anniversary.

With her sights on the next Lok Sabha elections, the Bahujan Samaj Party president wanted the audience to expand the party’s traditional support base, and at the same time strengthen the “gathbandhan” (alliance between the Dalits and Brahmins).

UPA attacked

Ms. Mayawati attacked the United Progressive Alliance government for its “failure” to resolve the nuclear deal imbroglio, stating that there were many divisions in the alliance. On the Ramar Sethu issue, she blamed the Union government for submitting a wrong affidavit in the apex court, which was “divorced from history.” She felt that the stalemate over these twin issues could cause mid-term polls.

The BSP supremo warned her supporters against the designs of the Opposition parties.

She alleged that worried about the rise of the BSP, the Opposition was making efforts to drag her name in the Taj corridor and other cases. Ms. Mayawati charged the erstwhile National Democratic Alliance government with having filed fake cases against her.

Poverty, unemployment

The Chief Minister said the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) was not a permanent solution to the problems of poverty and unemployment. On coming to power at the Centre, the BSP would create sources of permanent employment, she added.

On lack of adequate funds with the State government, Ms. Mayawati regretted that notwithstanding her meeting the Prime Minister, the special economic package of Rs. 80,000 crore had not been released by the Centre.

The Chief Minister blamed the Samajwadi Party regime for all the ills plaguing the State — from power crisis, sugarcane arrears to resource crunch.

In her 100-minute address, the Chief Minister invoked her mentor’s name several times. Ms. Mayawati criticised the UPA government and the SP regime for not declaring official mourning during Kanshi Ram’s death in 2006.

The Chief Minister defended her move to launch several schemes named after Kanshi Ram and said she was only carrying forward his political legacy.

‘Replicate example’

BSP General Secretary Satish Chandra Misra expressed gratitude to the Brahmins for enabling the BSP to get absolute majority.

The time had come to replicate the example at the Centre and the formation of the BSP government would be the best tribute to Kanshi Ram, he added.

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