Mayawati today reacted sharply to BJP president Amit Shah's 'Kasab' jab
Highlights
- BJP chief equates rival parties in Uttar Pradesh to 26/11 terrorist Kasab
- No development in UP till KASAB (Congress, SP, BSP) is out, Mr Shah said
- Country knows no bigger Kasab or terrorist than Amit Shah: Mayawati
Amit Shah is the "biggest Kasab of all", Uttar Pradesh politician Mayawati said today, a day after the BJP chief clubbed her along with the Congress and the Samajwadi Party to come up with the acronym spelling out the name of the 26/11 terrorist.
"The whole country knows that there is no bigger Kasab or terrorist than Amit Shah," Mayawati said while campaigning in Ambedkarnagar.
Yesterday, Mr Shah said the name of the 26/11 terrorist, when deconstructed, means Congress, Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party).
"Until Uttar Pradesh gets rid of K-A-S-A-B, there will be no development in the state. Ka (in Hindi) is for Congress, Sa for Samajwadi Party and Ba for BSP," Mr Shah said in Chauri Chaura, a historic town in Uttar Pradesh. He did not even finish the last bit, letting the crowd guess it.
Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist caught after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack by Pakistani attackers, was hanged in 2012.
"Until Kasab is laid to rest, development and prosperity will continue to elude UP," Mr Shah said.
Mayawati earlier took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he used another unflattering acronym to describe the three parties. "SCAM is Samajwadi, Congress, Akhilesh and Mayawati," he said at his first rally in Uttar Pradesh.
This week, PM Modi also described the BSP as "Behenji Sampatti (property) Party" in a derogatory reference to allegations that Mayawati made crores illegally.
In her riposte, Mayawati called the BJP "Bharatiya Jumla (rhetoric) Party" and used PM Modi's initials to call him "Mr Negative Dalit Man."
Uttar Pradesh is half-way through seven-phase voting. The results will be declared on March 11.