Mayawati slams Narendra Modi, says Constitution based on secularism, not Hindutva

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Dalit leader Mayawati today slammed her Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi for an interview he gave to news agency Reuters in which he defended himself over the 2002 riots saying that even if a puppy ("kutte ka bachcha") were to die under his car, he would be sad.

Modi's puppy analogy remark had stirred up a hornet's nest, with political parties alleging that the Gujarat strongman had compared Muslims to "puppies".

"Modi needs to study the Constitution. It is based on the principles of secularism and not Hindutva," Ms Mayawati said.

She also promised action against her party MP who had spoken in support of Mr Modi after the interview.

"My own party MP has praised Modi. We do not subscribe to Vijay Bahadur's views. We have already cancelled his ticket from Hamirpur. We have taken back all his responsibilities. I am giving him a last warning. He should remain within the discipline of the party. If he continues this, then we will be forced to expel him," the Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP supremo said.

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She also flayed the Samajwadi Party or SP government for the deteriorating law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh.

"There is goonda-raj in Uttar Pradesh and they have patronage from the ruling government. Barring a few people from a certain caste, everyone else is living in fear. Cases of rape are on the rise. There is rampant extortion. We acted against those who were involved in corruption. We sacked them as soon as allegations cropped up," she said.

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"But other parties have become safe havens for those we removed on allegations of corruption," Ms Mayawati said, referring to former party minister Babu Singh Kushwaha, whose wife and brother yesterday joined the SP.

Reacting to the Allahabad High Court's recent order banning caste-based rallies in Uttar Pradesh, Ms Mayawati said her party organised such rallies with the sole aim of promoting universal brotherhood and striving to put an end to the caste system.

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"Our party is first social then political. These initiatives are meant to promote brotherhood between communities. Our movement will continue until this caste-based system is brought to an end. If someone is troubled by our ways of furthering this movement, then we will make changes in our methods," she said, adding that henceforth, the BSP would organise such rallies under the label of "sarva samaj bhaichara sammelans".

"We will not give up our struggle and movement. The people should see it as a movement of social change," the former Chief Minister stressed.