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Govt using Mandir-Masjid debate to distract from key issues: Swami Prasad Maurya
Maurya listed several key demands of the Yatra, including 100% compliance with constitutional reservations, reservation in promotions for SCs, STs, and OBCs, and conducting a caste-based census with proportional reservations.
Apni Janta Party led by Swami Prasad Maurya will launch a state-wide ‘Samvidhan Samman and Janhit Hunkar Yatra’ from March 15, aiming to draw attention to what he termed as increasing atrocities against Dalits, minorities, and backward communities under the BJP rule. The Yatra will begin on the birth anniversary of the late Kanshi Ram.
Addressing a press conference at his residence in Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar on Monday, Maurya alleged that the BJP government was failing on multiple fronts, weakening constitutional institutions, and disregarding the reservation system. He claimed that incidents of injustice against marginalised communities had surged and accused the government of using communal issues to divert public attention from core concerns.
“The state government is only focused on Hindu-Muslim and Mandir-Masjid debates to shift attention from pressing issues. Our Yatra will expose the injustices, fake cases, and violence faced by Dalits, minorities, and backward classes,” Maurya asserted.
Maurya listed several key demands of the Yatra, including 100% compliance with constitutional reservations, reservation in promotions for SCs, STs, and OBCs, and conducting a caste-based census with proportional reservations. He also called for the restoration of the old pension scheme and the abolition of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), advocating for a return to ballot paper voting.
Other demands include nationalising outsourced workers, forming a National Judicial Service Commission, and implementing a ‘One Nation-One Education’ policy. Maurya further alleged that public sector enterprises, including airports, railways, and LIC, were being sold to private entities, affecting job security.
