Modi as PM will bring country to ruin: Mayawati

BSP wants to know why NDA did not revive country’s economy when it was in power

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati being garlanded by supporters during an election rally in Kolkata on Monday. Photo: Sushanta Patronobish

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati said here on Monday that if someone like Narendra Modi becomes Prime Minister, the country’s communal harmony would be thoroughly disrupted.

“If someone like Narendra Modi, who is responsible for the Gujarat riots in 2002 becomes Prime Minister, the country will be ruined due to communal clashes”, she added.

Ms. Mayawati rubbished Mr. Modi’s claim that only a BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre could rescue the country from the two decades of misrule of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance.

“Our party wants to know why the NDA did not revive the country’s economy and bring it back on the development track when it was in power at the Centre,” she asked.

The Congress was not spared either. Taking a dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi by calling him ‘yuvraj’, Ms. Mayawati said the party has made him its prime ministerial candidate although it did not declare his name officially.

Trashing the Congress’ claim that its welfare schemes had played a major role in alleviating the condition of the poor, she said Central schemes had failed to tackle the widespread poverty in the country.

“The Centre has not paid heed to our demand that development should not be confined to rich industrialists, but should also reach the poor and the downtrodden,” she alleged.

Ms. Mayawati also accused the Centre for not considering her party’s demand for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for members of the upper caste who were financially backward.

The BSP chief slammed the Centre for its flawed financial policies which had greatly increased poverty, unemployment, besides causing price rise and corruption in the country.

Reservation issue

As for the issue of development of minorities, Dalits and OBC communities, she slammed both the Congress and the BJP for conspiring to end the reservation system in government jobs and educational institutions by including other castes in the reserved category without increasing the number of reserved positions.

“Governments of other parties (Congress and BJP) are trying to finish the reservation system by including other communities apart from the minorities, Dalits and OBCs,” added Ms. Mayawati.