Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday hit out at the SP and the BSP, claiming that their governments in Uttar Pradesh functioned only for a few castes while PM Narendra Modi worked for the poor and all backwards.
Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) has been electorally dominant among the Yadavs while Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) enjoys overwhelming support among the Jatavs.
Jatavs form about 8 per cent of the UP's population while Yadavs constitute about 9 per cent of the state population.
"Whenever the Samajwadi Party or the Bahujan Samaj Party formed the government in Uttar Pradesh, they worked only for their own castes. But PM Narendra Modi has worked for all backward castes and in the interest of the poor," Mr Shah said.
"Did they work for the Nishad community or for any other caste under the OBCs. It was only Modiji, who worked for the poor," the BJP leader claimed at the "Sarkar Banao, Adhikar Pao" rally, which the BJP held with its alliance partner NISHAD Party here, just months ahead of the state Assembly polls.
He said for years, the Nishad community kept demanding a separate ministry for fisheries, which was fulfilled by only PM Modi.
"During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Sanjay Nishad and Sadhvi Niranjan met Modiji and demanded a separate ministry, and Modiji fulfilled it. Today there is a separate ministry," Mr Shah said.
Attacking the opposition parties, he said the SP and the BSP claimed to be parties of the backwards but "none of them worked to give constitutional recognition to the Backward Classes Commission".
"This work was done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Mr Shah said.
He said more than 5,900 fishermen have got credit cards and the rest will get the facility next year.
The Union minister accused the rival political parties of dividing society on caste lines and deceiving them.
"In the coming time, the BJP is going to form the government in the state and fulfil demands of the Nishad community," Mr Shah said.
Mr Shah said the Modi government heralded the Blue Revolution worth Rs 5,000 crore and by making a provision of Rs 7,522 crore, infrastructure for water-based agriculture was initiated.
Lauding UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Mr Shah said he "uprooted" the mafia and criminals from the state.
He alleged that under the SP and the BSP regimes, "patronage was given to criminals". In the rule of Yogiji, members of the mafia have left the state, he said.
Referring to the COVID-19 management in the state, Mr Shah said, "The entire country was looking to UP during the pandemic as what will happen to the poor? I am happy to say that the way in which Yogiji did the COVID-19 management, UP is out from the corona fear and is moving on the path of development." Mr Shah urged the gathering to make the BJP and its allies win over 300 seats in the UP Assembly elections, wipe out the SP and the BSP, and create such a situation for the Congress that it fails to open its account.
The boatmen community is spread evenly across the state and constitutes nearly 13 per cent of the electorate.
Some of the major sub-castes of the boatmen's community are Nishad, Bind, Mallah, Kewat, Kashyap, Dhuria, Raikwar, Dheemar, Batham, Manjhi and Saini.
The NISHAD (Nirbal Indian Soshit Hamara Apna Dal) had partnered with the BJP in UP for the 2019 General Election.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, the party had fought on its own and bagged the Gyanpur seat in Bhadohi district.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
