Mayawati lambasted Congress for claiming that BSP will soon join hands with BJP (File)
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday held both the BJP and Congress responsible for the poor condition of migrant workers in the country amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
"Neither the Centre nor state governments focused on migrants. When migrant labourers started dying of hunger and were not given wages by their companies, they started moving towards their states in desperation as they had no option. The BJP and Congress kept blaming each other and playing disgusting politics over the issue. However, these two parties are equally responsible for the plight of migrant workers amid the lockdown," Mayawati told news agency ANI.
She alleged that while in power Congress has done hardly anything to uplift the poor and has not made any arrangements for them in their native places for earning a livelihood and forced them to move out of their hometowns in search of work.
"Congress was in power after independence for a longer period at the Centre and in most of the states. People started moving to other states or cities when they had no employment opportunities in their nearby places. The condition of the weaker section was very poor. Even cases were filed against their leaders," she said.
"Congress was against the implementation of the SC/ST Act. This was the reason Dr BR Ambedkar resigned from Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet," she said.
She further lambasted Congress for claiming that BSP will soon join hands with BJP and cleared that her party will not contest elections in alliance with BJP or Congress.
"Congres saying BSP wants to join hands with BJP. We condemn this. I want to clear that we will never contest any election in alliance with BJP or Congress," Mayawati said.