Says it may anoint either Meira Kumar or Shinde as PM
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Thursday claimed that the Congress was so scared of her Dalit following that it may anoint Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar or Union Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, both Dalit leaders, as Prime Minister to split those votes in the State Assembly elections next year.
She expressed her apprehension in her speech delivered after the inauguration of the Rs. 685-crore National Dalit Memorial and Green Garden at Noida, a gateway to Delhi. The event and her address, which was replete with political innuendos and pot shots at her rivals, were seen by many as an election campaign.
‘Congress ignored Dalit icons’
Asserting that not a single Dalit vote will shift to the Congress or any other party not only in Uttar Pradesh but in any other part of India, she said the Congress had no place for Dalit icons and had ignored them during its long rule.
Referring to the various memorials dedicated to leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi on the western bank of the Yamuna river, she said she had set up memorials to Dalit leaders and icons on the eastern bank. The message was clear: if the west bank belongs to the Congress, the east bank was the BSP's.
Taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress, she said when the Central Bureau of Investigation under the BJP had initiated cases against her for alleged disproportionate assets, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had assured her that there would be justice when the Congress came to power at the Centre. “But in eight years, the Congress, which misuses the CBI, has kept the cases alive to gain political mileage.”
‘Against graft, criminalisation’
Positioning herself against “corruption and criminalisation,” she said Uttar Pradesh had suffered on both counts because of the misrule of previous governments. “Our government is committed to root out both, which are a legacy of the past.”
Breaking her silence on the movement against corruption, she welcomed any such campaign be it by Gandhian Anna Hazare, yoga guru Baba Ramdev, or any other outfit or political party provided it was selfless and above caste and communal politics.
In this context, she ridiculed BJP leader L.K. Advani's rath yatra against corruption as a “nautanki” (drama) and said he should have launched it from Karnataka (whose Chief Minister had to be removed on corruption charges) rather than from Bihar. “This yatra is to revive his stake for the Prime Minister's chair.”
Reiterating the demands for Poorvanchal, Bundelkhand and Harit Pradesh, as well as enhanced reservation in education and jobs for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, the Chief Minister blamed the Centre and previous State governments for lack of development in Uttar Pradesh. “The Centre has not given us the assistance we had sought under special package and the previous State governments have left us a legacy of under-development.”
Defends statues
In a bid to silence criticism on her spending public funds on developing parks which showcases her party symbol (elephant) and huge statues of Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram and herself, Ms. Mayawati said only one per cent of the State's annual plan fund had been spent on the projects here and in Lucknow. The money would be recovered by levying an entry fee of Rs. 10 per head.
Keywords: Uttar Pradesh politics, Dalit Prerna Sthal
India is now freedom. It is democratic. Caste / varna / vansha base thinking is very harmful to the democracy. We have need friendship within us. Any caste base activity is anti-national. We have to right fight with law. This is best way to fight against anti-nationalist. But "Mulnivashi vr Aryan" slogan is totaling harmful for the democracy. Can only Mulniwashi will be Equal in economical base? They are casteist in social level. How they will give equality? Only Mahar and Chamar caste are in this Bahujan / mulnivashi leadership.....whenever? What’s after that? Both sides are casteist. How we are to supporting them blindly? Are these really democratic organizational movements?
First is foods and after thoughts. Hungry man is not coming for welfare work. Money is not everything but it is needy. The Buddha was not said poor is best. Whenever, be poor and work for poor, what is work of the ranchman? No rich and poor, everybody has equal, just like Bhikkhu Sangha. This is real caste less and class less society. Haven’t there hungry and rich, there are all equal in every aspects. Are you like this type society? Only mental equality and right of votes isn't enough.
Kudos to Mayavaty ji .Entire Dalit nation salutes UP CM.
The comments speak the great work done by Mayawati.What we can expect from Hindu caste people? How will they digest the progress made by Dalits? I understand it is very difficult for the upper caste media and caste hindus to see the development in uttar pradesh...
Rs 700 cr if invested for the welfare of people of UP or invested to develop infrastructure for the industries would have created so many jobs in the state,I feel this park is vest.This is nothing but a part of corruption.Cr.of Rs will be spent for the maintenance of this park.So ongoing income.
The incessant Mayawati baiting by the anchors of the electronic media and the broadsides against her by the a section of the print media are crossing the limits of decent political comments. Whether it is bcause of her being a Dalit or not may be debatable. But the fact remains that there is an irrational bias against her in the Indian media. That is for sure!
There will be no encephalitis case hereafter. The moment a child/person is diagnosed to have encephalitis he can go to the park pray and get immediate relief and cure. Similarly pangs of hunger will disappear with meditation in the park. BPL will be a thing of the past. School/college students will be in the forefront of nobel laureates. There will be 100% literacy and education in UP. People will get all their daily essentials free from the govt.as the rulers will now be modern day Karnas. Will other states of the union follow suit taking the gloriuos example of Mayawati and UP?
The scheduled caste continue to smart under the injustices of millennia.The upper caste have no business to lecture to them. Debate if any, has to come from within.
It will be hard for a communal and feudal Congress to fight against Ms.Mayawati -- all drama that Congress does will not be believed by Dalits at the ground level.
There is a common saying prevalent in south india about the costs
involved in rearing the elephants.It is told that it would be very
costly to to tie and feed them."Yanaai Katti theeney Poduvathupol"
is a well known phrase where ever the elephants are known.Now in the
case of Maya's park we note that erecting statues of elephants even
without any feeding cost many millions of rupees.Real elephants are
good entertainers for the children.In kerala the grand festivals
with the elephants paraded is a row is the grand sight for all
visitors.In temples elephants are reared and used to garland Gods
on specific days.The famous elephant "Gajendra" called for help by
shouting "Adimoolamey"when caught by the crocodile and saved by
Sriman Narayanan.Elephants are thus glorified as symbols of
religious feelings.Now as part of politics the great animals are
depicted as vote catchers.
Why don't we declare this park as one of the wonders in the world?
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati at the inauguration of Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida did not forget to mention Congress responsible for all the odds she is facing in the state. She is still feeling the pain of 2009. Her fear that Dalit Samaj has understood the siphoning of central allocated funds through channels of corruption is the only reason of their poverty and backwardness. Rahul Gandhi has emerged as source of hope for the people of UP.
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