The Hindu : National : BSP to seek support of upper castes, Muslims

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 20, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

National

National

BSP to seek support of upper castes, Muslims

Atiq Khan

LUCKNOW: In a bid to thwart the Congress’ plan to make inroads into the support base of the Bahujan Samaj Party, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday said the support of the upper castes and Muslims would be enlisted through cadre camps and public meetings.

She said this might even take several years, but the Opposition’s tactics of “divide and rule” would not be allowed to succeed.

Ms. Mayawati claimed that in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BSP was done in by the “internal alliance” among the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Samajwadi Party.

“These parties were wary that if she were to become the Prime Minister she would wield power for several years,” the BSP president said at a rally at the Collectorate here to kick off the countrywide campaign against casteism. She claimed that the BJP and the SP, in particular, feared that if a Dalit ki beti (daughter of a Dalit) were to become Prime Minister it would not be good for the country.

Condemning the “casteist” agenda of the Congress, the BJP and the SP, the BSP supremo exhorted the party cadres to foster brotherhood of the sarv samaj, break the caste barrier and pave the way for the formation of a BSP government at the Centre.

Stating that the beginning to this effect had been made from Uttar Pradesh, Ms. Mayawati counselled her party cadres that in their conduct too they must not display a casteist streak.

The Chief Minister said brotherhood formed part of the party’s core philosophy. Earlier too, the BSP had become a victim of caste politics when the Opposition parties united to prevent her from becoming the Prime Minister during last year’s trust vote on nuclear deal.

On the Dalit issue, she attacked the Janata Party for denying Jagjivan Ram the Prime Minister’s post in 1977 and opting for Morarji Desai.

The Chief Minister clarified that the BSP’s programme had nothing to do with Mr. Gandhi’s birthday, which was being celebrated on June 19. On this day in 1995, she entered the Vidhan Sabha for the first time as Chief Minister, Ms. Mayawati said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National