"Complete Distance" From INDIA Bloc And BJP-Led NDA, Says Mayawati

BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday reiterated her stand to maintain “complete distance” from the ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc for next year's Lok Sabha elections and said that the party has to move forward by working on its own strengths.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the UP unit of the BSP said, "BSP chief and former UP chief minister Mayawati held a discussion with senior and responsible people of the party regarding the preparedness of the party for upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the preparedness of the party in Uttar Pradesh and in Uttarakhand, and to increase the party's mandate.”

“During the discussion, she once again made it clear that Bahujan Samaj Pary (BSP) has to work by strengthening itself, while maintaining complete distance from the ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc,” the statement said.

Mayawati urged party members to be alert to fake news, and said that anti-BSP elements are still engaged in propaganda and political conspiracy. "So, precaution has to be taken at every level, so that our election preparedness is not affected," she said.

In the meeting, Mayawati took note of BJP government's “new election strategy” but said that people are still facing issues such as inflation, extreme poverty, unemployment, decrease in income, bad condition of roads, law and order, and poor health and educational facilities.

But it is unclear if these problems will become serious election issues, she said. “This is because when it comes to issues of public interest and public welfare, the attitude of the BJP and Congress is almost the same, and it is anti-people," Mayawati said.

The BSP chief also said that efforts are being made to make the provision of reservation to the SC, ST and OBCs ineffective.

Reservation should not be linked to removing unemployment or some cosmetic changes, she said.

"Till the time unequal intentions and policies continue in the government and in society, people will not get the actual benefits of reservation, and this will only exist on paper,” she said.

Mayawati also took serious objection to bulldozer action on people, saying it is used to punish the family of a person before being convicted. Educational institutes and hospitals linked to such people are being shut down, she said. "This is an extremely anti-people step,” Mayawati said.

Such action of the government is malicious and completely unnecessary, she said, according to the statement. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)