BJP govts in Centre, UP only trying to get cheap popularity: Mayawati

Lucknow: Accusing the BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh of ignoring the interests of farmers and the poor, BSP chief Mayawati said that focus of the ruling dispensation was only on getting cheap and cosmetic popularity.

She also referred to caste-based clashes in Saharanpur district and said the Yogi Adityanath government had failed on the law and order front.

The BSP chief, however, advised her party workers to approach the media and officials when trying to help victims of injustice, claiming that there was need to ensure that they are not falsely accused of fomenting trouble, “like it had happened in Saharanpur”.

“BJP leaders are openly displaying an attitude of vengeance, ego, casteism and communalism. In the BJP-ruled states, farmers’ interests are being ignored and they are subjected to atrocities. It is for these reasons that farmers had to resort to protests in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh,” Mayawati said.

The firing on the farmers, which resulted in death of five farmers (during protests on Tuesday at Mandsaur in MP) is indeed very sad, and it must be condemned, Mayawati said at a meeting here, according to a BSP release.

Mayawati said that if the BJP government in UP had implemented even a part of its ordinary loan waiver scheme, the benefits to the farmers would had been visible.

“Like other promises, this also seems to be another promise only on paper,” she said.
Referring to the clashes in Saharanpur, Mayawati said the district was still simmering as the BJP was not doing any justice to the affected families.

“The reality is that the conspirators are moving scot- free and enjoying political patronage. People who are opposing the BJP have been forced to bear the brunt. Will this normalise the situation?” she said.

She alleged that the current BJP government in UP was working with casteist and political vendetta in mind, and had failed to improve law and order in the state.

In this context, BSP office bearers and party workers instead of reaching the spot to help the affected persons should meet the concerned officials and help in delivery of justice to the aggrieved persons, she said.

The BSP chief said that information in this regard must be shared with the media.

“Otherwise, the government will in order to hide its inefficiency, blame the BSP activists for inciting violence, and start harassing the innocent people by levelling false allegations on them like it has done in the case of Saharanpur violence,” she said.

Mayawati said that in the current circumstances, the party office bearers and workers must avoid holding protests or staging ‘dharnas’.

“In the case of injustice being done to party supporter, the issue should be raised in the Legislative Assembly through the party MLAs, and if needed then the aggrieved person should be suggested to go to court. Doing this will ensure that the government will not be able to hide their poor performance on the law and order front and at the same time, will not be able to frame political opponents,” she said.

PTI