Karnataka   

We are serious about elections, says Mayawati

BANGALORE: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Monday said her party was contesting the Assembly elections not to play spoilsport but to come to power on its own.

Addressing an election rally at Devanahalli in Bangalore Rural district, Ms. Mayawati criticised the Congress for its alleged propaganda that the BSP was in the poll fray only to help the BJP. She said her party was a serious contender and would neither help nor harm the prospects of other parties in the race.

“A few years ago the Congress indulged in a similar campaign in Uttar Pradesh. We not only defeated the Congress, but also ensured that the BJP was pushed to the third place. The BSP is contesting almost all the seats in Karnataka without any understanding with other political parties”.

Terming the Congress and the BJP as “parties propped up by capitalists,” Ms. Mayawati blamed them for price rise, poverty and unemployment in the country.

As the economic policies of the Congress and BJP were aimed to help the capitalists, the poor and middle-class families had been put to all kinds of hardships. People should reject the Congress and BJP and vote for the BSP, she said.

Ms. Mayawati, who dwelt at length on the achievements of her Government in Uttar Pradesh, said the BSP was in favour of providing reservation for the poor among the upper castes.

The Centre had ignored the BSP’s request to amend the Constitution for providing such a reservation, she said.

The former Minister H.N. Nanje Gowda, who recently joined the BSP, appealed to the public to work towards making Ms. Mayawati the Prime Minister and the party general secretary P.G.R. Sindhia the chief minister of Karnataka.

BSP general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Satishchandra Mishra, who played a key role in ensuring the support of Brahmins to the BSP in U.P., and Mr. Sindhia addressed the gathering.

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