“ Dalit problems won’t be solved by eating from their hands, sleeping in their houses” Bahujan Samaj Party leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, along with the BSP candidates for the Delhi parliamentary constituencies at an election rally in New Delhi on Sunday.
“Baba Saheb Ambedkar had told Dalits not to vote for the Congress even after his death, after a Congress-fielded candidate defeated him in the 1952 Lok Sabha elections with the gross misuse of the government machinery,” Ms. Mayawati told an election rally here and asked the people to avenge the defeat of Dr. Ambedkar.
She alleged that the Congress led by “Nehru and Company” had attempted to block the entry of Dr. Ambedkar in the Samvidhan Sabha of the country through various measures. “These are the facts after knowing which, people from the Dalit community can never forgive the Congress,” she said.
In an apparent attack on AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, the BSP supremo criticised top Congress leaders visiting Dalit ‘bastis.’
“Few Congress leaders who are visiting Dalit bastis should understand that the problems of Dalits will not be solved by eating from their hands, sleeping in their houses or carrying Dalit children on their shoulders,” she said.
She alleged that the UPA government did not release Rs. 72,000 crore for Dalits’ welfare from the special component plan. “This exposes the Congress love for Dalits. The Congress hand embezzled this money.”
“You have to avenge this anti-Dalit mentality of the Congress by ensuring that its candidates lose their deposits,” she said, adding that the BJP and other parties also “have the same attitude” towards Dalits as they are also “offshoots” of the Congress.
“We do not treat the BJP and other parties differently from the Congress. All these parties are Chacha-Bhatija (uncle nephew) parties of the Congress. You have to ensure that these parties of Chacha-Bhatija, namely, BJP and other parties do not succeed,” the BSP leader said.
She attacked the Congress over the recent CBI clean chit to the Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi and Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, whose role in the 1984 riots had come under controversy.
She accused the Congress of persecuting BSP leaders in Delhi and advised it to “desist from such acts as it’s now exit time for Congress.”
Ms. Mayawati came down heavily on the Opposition parties for spreading rumours about the BSP and trying to mislead the upper castes about her party’s ideology.
“Our party is not against any caste or religion. Our party is not caste or religion-specific. It’s a party of Sarvajan Hitaye, Sarvajana Sukhaye. We want to make a society based on equality,” she said.
She cited ticket given by the party to upper castes as well as the meteoric rise of the BSP general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra in the party to hammer home her point.
Ms. Mayawati said that if the BSP government came to power at the Centre, it would ensure reservation to the poor among upper castes, reservation for SC/ST and OBC in judiciary, legislative council, Rajya Sabha and such other places.
She said despite her numerous letters to the government at the Centre, the latter had not responded to her on these issues.
Attacking the UPA government for not implementing the recommendations of the Sachchar Committee for the welfare of Muslims, she said the BSP gave ticket to Muslim candidates in areas where they were in good numbers so that they could enter Parliament and Assembly.
On the contrary, the Congress gave only a few tickets to the minorities, she alleged.
Alleging that the BJP and the Congress made policies for the capitalists because they won elections with their money, she said, “these are the reasons why no change happened in the social and economic status of the Dalits and Sarvajan Samaj even 61 years after independence.”
She took a dig at the Congress’ flagship job scheme NREGA and said, “providing 100-day jobs to one family member will not end unemployment. Permanent employment is required to solve the problem.”
The BSP leader also said ill-treatment of people migrating to metros to eke out a living would not be tolerated if her government came to power and said her party would tackle the menace of naxalism and terrorism.
