Two days before the Congress party's election campaign in Uttar Pradesh is flagged off by Rahul Gandhi from Phulpur in Allahabad, Chief Minister Mayawati has asked the Amethi MP to stop enacting the political drama for the sake of vote bank politics. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister even admonished the Congress general secretary for venting his ire at the State government. “Instead of expressing his anger at her government, the Congress ‘yuvraj' should show his anger at the UPA government, which had failed to control prices,” Ms. Mayawati said.
Setting the tone for a confrontation with the Congress in the run up to the State Assembly polls next year, Ms. Mayawati lashed out against Mr. Gandhi and said that why the price rise did not anger the Congress ‘yuvraj'. “In fact, as a member of parliament from the State he should ask the Centre to release development funds for Uttar Pradesh”, the Chief Minister said.
While singling out the Congress general secretary, Ms. Mayawati was obviously referring to his remark, made recently in Bhadohi, that the situation in U.P. angered him. Also, the banners, posters and hoardings related to the Congress rally in Phulpur on Monday have depicted a grim looking Mr. Gandhi.
Addressing the function to mark the inauguration of the U.P Viklang Uddhar Dr. Shakuntala Mishra University on Mohan road near Lucknow on Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister slammed the Congress-led UPA Government for its step-motherly treatment towards the State and its approach towards the spread of secondary education. Ms. Mayawati said a huge number of people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar migrated to the Congress ruled states of Maharashtra and Delhi in search of livelihood. Referring to the Mirchpur incident in the “Congress-ruled state of Haryana”, she said, “But untold atrocities are committed against them”. Ms. Mayawati wanted to know why the incidents in the Congress-ruled states did not anger the ‘yuvraj'. She added that after independence, Congress was in power in Uttar Pradesh for 38 years. Yet the Dalits are a backward section of the society, the religious minorities and other weaker sections of the population continued to suffer untold miseries and their condition has only deteriorated. Stating that the Congress has had a long history of corruption-related activities, Ms. Mayawati said the party should not point fingers at the Bahujan Samaj Party Government.
Taking a dig at the political yatras launched by the Bharatiya Janata Party, Samajwadi Party and the Congress, Ms. Mayawati said these yatras by the opposition parties will not serve their purpose as the people won't be misled. “Some parties have extended support to the yatras led by ‘babas' (Ramdev and Sri Sri Ravi Shanker)”, Ms. Mayawati remarked.
Besides, inaugurating the university for the disabled, Ms. Mayawati unveiled and laid the foundation stone of 236 projects worth Rs. 16,142 crore.
