The Hindu : Karnataka News : Congress, BJP not pro-poor: Mayawati

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Congress, BJP not pro-poor: Mayawati

Staff Correspondent

Mayawati

Chitradurga: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati has asserted that if the party comes to power at the Centre, it would bring in a constitutional amendment to provide reservation even to the poor among the forward castes.

Addressing a large gathering at the middle school ground here on Monday, she alleged that despite writing several letters to the Centre, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government had failed to act in this regard.

Ms. Mayawati said that her Government had also written to the Centre urging it to include Dalit Christians and poor Muslims in the SC/ST category for giving them reservation in various sectors. There was no progress even on this, she charged.

Listing the “welfare” works she had undertaken in Uttar Pradesh, she said that her Government allotted three acres land to each poor and landless person of the State. The scheme had benefited over 25 lakh families in the State,” she claimed.

Backlog posts

Ms. Mayawati said that soon after coming to power, she had filled all the backlog posts reserved for SC/STs and backward classes.

“We have also constituted separate welfare departments for each backward community to ensure that they receive all the government benefits for their social and economic advancement,” she said. Holding the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party responsible for the backwardness of SC/STs, she alleged that in its over five decades of rule, the Congress did not consider poor people as the citizens of the country. The BJP gave prominence only to the rich and neglected the economically weaker sections of society.

“During elections, as both parties receive funds from capitalists, they later frame policies suiting their needs but not favouring the poor people,” she remarked.

Ms. Mayawati said that the condition of the labour class and farmers had remained the same even after 60 years of Independence.

Cost of living

The cost of living had been shooting up because of the price rise, but the earnings of workers has not been increased accordingly, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said.

With regard to the Assembly elections in Karnataka, she said that the party had fielded 219 candidates across the State without the support of any other parties. The BSP had given ticket to all sections of people.

“We have given ticket to 28 Muslims, but Congress has given ticket to only 12 Muslims,” she said.

BSP general secretaries P.G.R. Sindhia and Veer Singh; State unit president Manasandra Muniyappa, and State unit general secretaries M. Jayanna and Trishulpani Patel were present.

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