BJP, SP trying to give communal colour to UP polls: Mayawati

BSP president Mayawati said the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Samajwadi Party were trying to make the coming elections a Hindu-Muslim affair by raising the Ayodhya police firing and Mohammad Ali Jinnah issues respectively.

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati said on Tuesday that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in league with the Samajawadi Party, was trying to give a communal colour to the coming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh by making it a Hindu- Muslim affair.

The ideology of SP and BJP was casteist and communal and both the parties were dependent on each other, Mayawati said. (Pic for representation)

To divert the attention of the people from its failure to fulfill promises, poor performance and anti- people policies, the BJP was raising the Ayodhya police firing issue whereas the SP was highlighting Mohammad Ali Jinnah. It showed the internal understanding between the BJP and SP to serve their vested political interests, she said.

Both the BJP and SP strengthened each other. The ideology of SP and BJP was casteist and communal and both the parties were dependent on each other, she said, adding when SP was in power the BJP gained ground in UP, whereas it weakens when the BSP was in power. The people were aware of the designs of both the parties and they would not fall prey to the conspiracies of BJP and SP, she said.

Addressing a press conference at the BSP state unit office, Mayawati said, “I want to tell chief minister Yogi Adityanath that like him I too do not have a family. The difference is that to show off he is dressed in saffron robes, his family is RSS whereas the people of all castes and religions are my family.” “During my government, schemes and projects were launched for all whereas the Yogi government has worked for the people belonging to a particular religion and some select castes. When my family members or that of other leaders work with a selfless motive, it cannot be termed as promoting dynasty in the party,” she said.

“When I was Chief Minister I did not visit districts before election to lay the foundation stones or to make promises to the people, nor forced the government employees to attend political rallies. Senior BSP leaders hold meetings across the state, I collect feedback and review the progress of the campaign,” she said.

The BJP was trying to take credit for the Purvanchal expressway, Jewar and Kushinagar international airports which was not correct. The plans of all the projects were prepared when BSP was in power but due to the hurdles put by the then Congress government , the projects could not be launched, she said.

Now that the assembly elections were close, the ruling BJP and other parties had launched adrive to lure and trick the people with promises. The BJP government at the centre and in the state started a series of the announcements and foundation laying drive which was likely to continue till the announcement of the schedule of the assembly election. It clearly indicated that the BJP would face defeat in the 2022 assembly elections, she said.

Except BSP, other rival parties had made several announcements to lure the voters that raises questions on the commitment and working of the political parties. Like SP, the Congress had made several tempting promises but the people would not believe the announcements. If the Congress had fulfilled 50% of the promises it made to the people, then it would not have been out of power from the centre, Uttar Pradesh and other states. There was difference in the words and deeds of the Congress whereas the BSP talked less and focused on work, she said.

She said the people would not forget inflation and hike in the price of petroleum products. Fearing defeat in the assembly elections, the BJP government had slashed the price of petrol and diesel but after the elections they would collect the money from the people with interest. The free ration scheme would also be withdrawn after the polls, she said.

Before the assembly elections, the BJP had claimed to win 300 seats while SP claimed that it would bag 400 seats. The claims of both the parties were childish. To ensure that both the parties won the seats claimed by their leaders, the Election Commission would have to increase the number of assembly seats to 1,000. Free and fair assembly election would tell which political party had the strength to win in Uttar Pradesh, she said.