BSP chief Mayawati asks Dalits to unite, win power

Mayawati accused Congress and BJP of conspiring against the BSP to stop it from coming to power and dividing Dalits

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Friday hit out at the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and called them casteist, feudal and narrow-minded while asking the Dalits to unite under her party’s banner to win power at the Centre and in the states.

BSP national president Mayawati paying tribute to party founder Kanshi Ram on his 14th death anniversary in a programme organised at Prerna Kendra, New Delhi, on Friday. (HT Photo)

Speaking at a press conference after paying tribute to BSP founder Kanshi Ram on his 14th death anniversary, Mayawati accused the two parties of conspiring against the BSP to stop it from coming to power. She accused the Congress leaders of calling the BSP BJP’s B-team to misguide the Dalits. Mayawati said the BJP used similar tactics when the Congress was in power at the Centre. She asked the Dalits to understand the BJP and Congress’s “game plan” of dividing the community for political gains.

Mayawati, a four-time Uttar Pradesh chief minister, said their attitude towards the Dalits and the BSP was the same. She accused Congress and BJP leaders of indulging in all types of political drama over incidents of atrocities against Dalits to serve their vested interests. She referred to the alleged rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras and said both parties betrayed her community. “The Congress or BJP governments did nothing for the welfare and security of the Dalit community. Rather, the scheduled caste people were exploited and harassed under the BJP and Congress governments,” she said.

Mayawati promised the BSP will work for the welfare of the weaker sections of all the communities. She asked Bhimrao Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram’s followers to strengthen the BSP for the Dalit empowerment and to reject the Dalit outfits launched with the Congress and BJP’s support to damage BSP’s electoral prospects.

Mayawati said rival political parties like Congress and the BJP have launched a campaign to defame the BSP over fund collection from its supporters. She insisted her party collects funds from its supporters to run the organisation and to contest elections. Mayawati said the BSP did not take donations from big capitalists and rich businessmen like rival parties did. “If the BSP starts taking donations from capitalists and businessmen, then it will have to follow their directions and when in power, it will have to frame policies for their benefit.”