The Hindu : New Delhi News : Mayawati slams UPA Government

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Mayawati slams UPA Government

Special Correspondent

Accuses it of hampering development by refusing special economic package

- Photo: Subir Roy

Getting ready for polls: BSP supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati at a party meeting in Lucknow on Wednesday.

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party president, Mayawati on Wednesday directed her party cadres to highlight the decisions taken by her Government pertaining to the welfare the of the ‘sarv samaj’ among the people of the State. These decisions have been taken despite the resource crunch and the non-cooperation of the Central Government, which had kept mum on the representations sent by the State Government, the Chief Minister said.

Addressing the State-level meeting of the elected representatives of the BSP and office-bearers here today, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister made her displeasure known on the attitude of the Congress-led UPA Government for ignoring the demands of the State Government, particularly, the special economic package of Rs. 80,000 crore. Ms. Mayawati asked the BSP members to expose the Central Government’s recalcitrant approach towards Uttar Pradesh, said an official Press release issued by the party’s State unit.

She said that the BSP cadres should inform the public that if the Rs. 80,000 crore had been cleared by the Central Government greater emphasis could have been given to the welfare of the Dalits, religious minorities and the Upper Castes. In addition, the ongoing development works could have been expedited, the Chief Minister added. Ms. Mayawati slammed the Central Government for its step-motherly attitude towards the State, and said UP’s share from the Central taxes had not been received in time.

Wednesday’s meeting was held in the backdrop of next year’s Lok Sabha elections. The BSP president drew the attention of the MPs, MLAs and Ministers towards the issues which would assume importance during the Lok Sabha polls. The Chief Minister, it is learnt, laid stress on expanding the social engineering formula by incorporating the other sections of the society, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

An important decision in this context related to ‘cadres camps’, which would be organized in the State.

Since, the party office-bearers have been asked to bring at least two members of each caste to the cadre camps, these seemed to serve the dual purpose of expanding the party’s base and ensure that the BSP annexed maximum Lok Sabha seats in the State. The cadre camps would be held from February 1, 2009. Meanwhile, the Irrigation, Excise and PWD Minister, Naseemuddin Siddiqui, is learnt to have been given the responsibility of the ‘Muslim Bhaichara Samiti’ ( Muslim brotherhood committee ) for enlisting the support of the minority community.

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