E-Paper
BJP, Cong govts did little for weaker sections: Mayawati
BSP chief Mayawati accused BJP of not filling reservation quota for dalits, tribals, and OBCs, while Congress is using caste census demand to win votes.
Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress over caste census and reservation issues, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati alleged that under the BJP government the reservation quota for dalits, tribals and OBCs in government jobs had not been filled whereas the Congress was raising caste census demand to grab OBC votes in upcoming assembly elections in five states.
Addressing public meetings in Niwari and Ashok Nagar in Madhya Pradesh on Monday, she said, “Even after 75 years of independence, the condition of the dalits, tribals and OBCs has not improved.” The BSP chief alleged that despite being in power at the Centre and in states, both the BJP and the Congress did little for the empowerment of the weaker section in the society.
“The BJP is in power at the Centre as well as in Madhya Pradesh but large number of the posts of dalits and OBCs in the government departments are lying vacant. The BJP government is promoting the private sector without granting reservation to the dalits, tribals and OBCs,” Mayawati alleged.
“It clearly indicates that the BJP government is not concerned about the welfare of the weaker sections,” she further alleged. “The Congress party is raising the demand of caste-based census before the assembly election in five states. People should know that when in power, the Congress did not implement the reports of the Kaka Kalelkar and the Mandal Commissions. On the BSP’s demand, the then Janata Dal government led by VP Singh implemented the Mandal Commission report,” she said.
“The Congress is not concerned about the empowerment of the weaker section but to get the vote of the OBCs in the assembly election, it is raising the demand of the caste based census. Bharat Ratna was given to Dr BR Ambedkar by the VP Singh government. The Congress government did not announce national mourning after the demise of BSP founder Kanshi Ram who spread the ideology of Dr Ambedkar across the country,” she said.
“The BJP government has announced 33% reservation for women but there is no mention of the quota for SC, ST and OBC women. The law framed to check atrocities on dalits and tribals has not been implemented forcefully in the BJP and the Congress-ruled states. It has led to increase in the atrocities on the weaker sections,” Mayawati alleged.
Highlighting the performance of the four-term BSP government in Uttar Pradesh, she said her government worked for the welfare of the ‘sarva samaj’. “There was good governance and rule of law in U.P. then. If people of Madhya Pradesh want good government, they should vote for the BSP. The BSP is the only party that is not run on the fund of the rich but on contribution of the party workers,” she said.
