Dalits, Muslims "Living In Fear" Under BJP Rule: Mayawati At UP Rally

BSP chief Mayawati on Saturday alleged that people, especially those belonging to minority communities, are living in fear under the BJP government and promised that her party will work to ensure social justice to all if voted to power in Uttar Pradesh.

Addressing a rally, the former chief minister also accused the Samajwadi Party (SP) of working against the interests of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

"Dalits, Backwards and especially Muslim communities have been living in fear and terror under this government. Harassment on the basis of caste and religion will not be allowed in any case under BSP rule," the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo said.

“We are fighting to form a majority government like 2007 and to get rid of the casteist, narrow-minded, arrogant and dictatorial rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). You will have to support BSP, the only party that cares for all sections of society to ensure this,” Mayawati said.

The BSP came to power in 2007, winning 206 assembly seats of the total 403. Its seat count was reduced to 80 in 2012 and just 19 seats in the 2017 election.

Unlike the ruling BJP and the SP, the BSP's campaigning in UP has remained subdued. However, her party leaders insist that Mayawati has a loyal voter base and she had kept away from the limelight even before her 2007 victory.

Mayawati said the Akhilesh Yadav government cancelled the provision of reservation for SCs and STs in government tenders which was first introduced by the BSP.

The SP also tore a bill for reservation in promotion and stalled its passage in Lok Sabha, she alleged.

The SP government also stopped the scholarship for students of SC/ST communities and changed the names of places named after Dalit icons and cited that Ravidas Nagar was renamed Bhadohi, Mayawati alleged.

She also attacked the Congress, saying that it was ruling for decades after Independence but due to its bad policies, it is out of power both at the Centre and in states.

“Development of people from a particular caste was taken up under previous governments but the BSP worked for the development of every section of society, including those from the backward castes. But the work done by us was undone by the Samajwadi Party and BJP when they came to power,” Mayawati said.

Targeting the BJP, Mayawati alleged its policies are focused on promoting "casteist, capitalist and narrow-minded ideas of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS)".

This has ushered in an environment of religious tension and hate in the state, she claimed.

Mayawati questioned the state of law and order in the state under the BJP and the SP.

“Women, people of backward castes and Dalits are not safe under the rule of BJP. People are being harassed on the basis of their caste and religion. This will change when BSP will come to power. Mafia and goons will be sent back to jail which is their right place,” said Mayawati.

“The BSP is the only party that provided employment to the youths during the last four times it came to power. Our efforts not only stopped migration but also brought people who have migrated to other places back to their homes.

"I want to assure you that the youth will not have to migrate in search of jobs in my government. They will get employment in the state only,” said Mayawati The BSP supremo asserted that her party will work for the uplift of people from all sections of society, make arrangements of employment for the youth, provide facilities to farmers and form a commission to fulfil the demands of government employees.

“Farmers and the common man are also suffering from the wrong policies of the central government. The BSP will ensure that the wrong policies of the central government will not be imposed in the state,” Mayawati added.

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