Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday accused the Narendra Modi government of "doing drama" over the Army's surgical strikes, saying such attacks have been carried out across the Line of Control (LoC) in the past as well.
“Natakbazi on surgical strikes by BJP is to divert attention of people from failure to perform on the promises made by it during the run-up to 2014 polls,” Mayawati said at a rally to observe the death anniversary of Kanshi Ram, her mentor and founder of the BSP.
Mayawati said the surgical strikes carried out by India came in too late and questioned Prime Minister Modi’s assertion this was the first such task by India post-Independence.
Reading out from a written text, the BSP chief said this was not the first time that such surgical operations have taken place across the LoC.
The former State Chief Minister criticised Modi for choosing to celebrate Dusshera in Lucknow even while the “ashes of jawans are still warm”, adding that the Prime Minister's visit to the capital of poll-bound UP is for his own political gains.
Alleging that minorities were facing bias under Modi government, BSP Chief Mayawati cautioned Muslims that voting for Samajwadi Party or Congress will only help BJP and sought their support "to stop" the saffron party.
Muslims should not waste their vote as there is infighting in Samajwadi Party and Congress lacks a voter base in Uttar Pradesh, said Mayawati.
"Ever since the BJP government has come at the Centre, Muslims and other minorities are being subjected to bias.The minority status of Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia is being snatched away. Communal forces are becoming stronger and Muslims are being targeted in the name of love jihad, 'gau raksha' (cow protection) and religious conversion," the BSP supremo alleged, launching a scathing attack on the Modi government.
Mayawati also made it clear that her party will go alone in the three states going to polls early next year—Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab, and cautioned the people against any canard that BSP might enter into an understanding for forming as government with the BJP in case it fell short of majority.
She said there was no truth in these rumours which were being spread to divide Muslim votes and asserted that such a situation will not arise.
Coming down heavily on the ruling Samajwadi Party, Mayawati said because of "rampant crime and anarchy" incidents such as Muzaffarnagar, Dadri, Mathura and Bulandshahr have occurred and promised to restore rule of law in Uttar Pradesh.
"There is a tussle for supremacy going on in the SP between Mulayam Singh Yadav's son Akhilesh Yadav and brother Shivpal Singh Yadav and its result will be that the Yadav vote will split as each will try to ensure the defeat of candidates owing allegiance to the other," Mayawati said.
"In such circumstances Muslims should not waste their ballot by voting for them or else it will help the BJP.... Similarly Congress does not have a vote base and voting for it will also benefit BJP," Mayawati said.
"To stop the BJP, the vote should not go to either the Samajwadi Party or the Congress as with every Assembly seat having 22 to 23 per cent dalit votes, BSP can sail through with the help of Muslim votes or else the same scenario can emerge that was seen in 2014," she stressed.
Mayawati, who had faced criticism for spending hundreds of crores of rupees in setting up memorials of herself, Kanshi Ram and B R Ambedkar, said her party will not construct any more memorials.
Mayawati claimed she will form the next government with absolute majority and that it would be the real tribute to the late Kanshi Ram.
Also read: Two Killed, Several Others Injured at Mayawati Rally in Lucknow
(With inputs from PTI)
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