Modi communal, Rahul a prince: Mayawati

Accusing BJP prime ministerial candidate Narender Modi of being responsible for the 2002 Godhra riots, Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati here on Tuesday warned of communal riots if Modi became the Prime Minister.

Accusing BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi of being responsible for the 2002 Godhra riots, Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati here on Tuesday warned of communal riots if Modi became the Prime Minister.

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Mayawati, who was addressing a sizeable crowd at Parade Ground in Jammu, also took on the Gujarat chief minister by describing his claim of bringing change in the country if elected to power as a "hollow slogan".

"BJP ruled India for six years and brought no change," she said

The BSP chief also took on the Congress, saying that its vice-president, Rahul Gandhi, was 'Yuvraj' (prince). "The Congress' role in governance since Independence has been unfortunate. India is facing crisis at all fronts," she said.

She also claimed that there was a nexus between corporates and the Congress and BJP. "It is a high-profile businessman who runs Indian politics by sponsoring the Congress, BJP and other opposition parties for winning the election," said Mayawati.

She said her party's agenda was not reservation for any caste. "The BSP welcomes the poor, downtrodden, upper class and Muslims, all, to join its cadre," she said. "

She also took up the issue of black money stashed in foreign banks and said if that money could be brought back, it would benefit the country and its people.

The BSP chief held Congress responsible for widespread corruption and increasing Naxalite activities in the country. "The Congress is the only party that ruled most of the years after Independence and has brought great miseries for the people of the nation," she said.