The Hindu : National : Mayawati hits out at Congress, BJP

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Monday, Feb 25, 2008
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Mayawati hits out at Congress, BJP

Staff Reporter

Says both adopting a “divide-and-rule” policy by dividing the Dalits and the backward classes

— Photo: S. Subramanium

RALLYING FORCES: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati at a Bahujan Samaj Party rally in New Delhi on Sunday. (Right) A section of the crowd.

NEW DELHI: Kicking off the Bahujan Samaj Party’s campaign for the Assembly elections in Delhi and the Lok Sabha poll next year, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Sunday launched an offensive against both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress.

Addressing a rally at the Ramlila Grounds here, Ms. Mayawati accused the BJP and the Congress of not doing enough for the uplift of Dalits and backward classes.

“Since Independence, only the BJP and the Congress or their allies have formed governments in most States. That is why even 60 years after attaining freedom, the socio-economic conditions of people belonging to the “bahujan samaj” have not changed much.

“Impoverished”

“They are impoverished and unemployed even today and this can be observed not just in Delhi but also in other States and regions across the country,” she said.

Ms. Mayawati attacked the two parties for not addressing the concerns of the migrants in Delhi and for “failing to rein in rising prices” that impacted the poor and the middle class the most.

“Our party holds the BJP and the Congress responsible for this because since Independence they have been moulding economic policy to suit the capitalists and the rich. That is why the poor have got poorer and the rich have got richer,” she said.

Ms. Mayawati also accused the two national parties of adopting a “divide-and-rule” policy by dividing the Dalits and the backward classes.

“I am in favour of reservation for Gujjars. But instead of finding a solution to the reservation issue in Rajasthan, the BJP and the Congress created a rift between the Gujjar and the Meena community. I would urge the communities not to fight but to unite against them.”

Recounting her party’s achievements, Ms. Mayawati said about 20 lakh people had benefited from her government’s scheme of providing free government land to the poor farmers.

Special scheme

Additionally, around 70,000 Dalits and backward classes had benefited from her special scheme for filling the backlog of vacant posts at the State level. She also highlighted her efforts to provide reservation for the Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians.

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