Mayawati invokes Ambedkar, asks Dalits not to support Cong
Invoking leader Baba Saheb Ambedkar, BSP supremo Mayawati on Sunday targeted Congress for being "anti Dalit" and asked people to teach the party a lesson to get justice for its opposition to Ambedkar in the past.
Invoking leader Baba Saheb Ambedkar, BSP supremo Mayawati on Sunday targeted Congress for being "anti Dalit" and asked people to teach the party a lesson to get justice for its opposition to Ambedkar in the past.
"Baba Saheb Ambedkar had told Dalilts not to vote for 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," Mayawati said while addressing an election rally here and asked people to avenge the defeat of Ambedkar.
She alleged that Congress led by "Nehru and Company" had attempted to block the entry of Ambedkar in the Samvidhan Sabha of the country through various measures.
"These are the facts after knowing which, people from Dalit community can never forgive 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 basits should understand that the problems of Dalits will not be solved by eating from their hands, sleeping in their houses or carrying Dalits'children on their shoulders," she said.
Mayawati alleged that the UPA government did not release Rs 72,000 crore rupees for Dalit's welfare from the special component plan and said "it exposed Congress' love for Dalits. Congress hand embezzled this money."
"You have to avenge this anti Dalit mentality of Congress by ensuring that its candidates lose their deposits in this election," Mayawati said adding that BJP and other parties also "nurse the attitude" towards Dalits as they are also "offshoots" of Congress.
"We do not treat BJP and other parties differently from Congress. All these parties are Chacha-Bhatija (uncle nephew) parties of Congress. You have to ensure that these parties of Chacha-Bhatija, namely, BJP and other parties do not succeed," the BSP leader said.
She also attacked Congress over the recent CBI clean chits to the Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi and Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, whose role in the 1984 riots had come under controversy.
"Seeing the activities of CBI during this election, I feel the UPA government has realised that it is not coming back to power. Hence, it is now engaged in getting clean chits from CBI to Congress leaders. Clean chit to those trapped in 1984 Sikh riots case and the Italian businessman accused in Bofors case are examples of this," Mayawati said.
She also accused Congress of persecuting BSP leaders in Delhi and advised it to "desist from such acts as it's now exit time for Congress".
Mayawati also came down heavily on the opposition parties for spreading rumours about BSP and trying to mislead the upper castes about her party's ideology.