Giving a final push to the prospects of alliance candidates in fray in the first phase on April 11, BSP chief Mayawati on Monday condemned BJP for releasing manifesto for 2019 saying the ruling had no moral right to release manifesto.
"They should rather have brought out the ‘Action Taken Report’ (ACR) explaining how far did they fulfil the promises made in 2014," she said.
Mayawati was addressing a public rally in Meerut. “After cheating and misguiding people by making hollow promises in 2014, the BJP has come out with another manifesto to befool people yet again. Lekin kath ki handi bar bar nahi chadhti (But in a wooden pot, food can’t be cooked again and again),” she said implying that the truth will always prevail.
The BSP chief made a strong pitch for a government led by UP alliance at Centre. She also warned people against trying national parties like Congress again and again. She promised voters employment instead of cash on coming to power at the centre.
In a veiled attack on Congress’s NYAY (minimum income scheme) promise of Rs 72,000 per annum, Mayawati said: “I will give you facilities instead of Rs 6000 per month.” With an eye on 2022 UP assembly polls, Mayawati exhorted people to vote out BJP both from Delhi and Lucknow. Taking the manifesto issue further, Mayawati sought to justify her party’s stand of not believing in the manifesto.
While SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had released his party's vision document last week, Mayawati said she did not believe in making hollow promises but in the delivery of welfare. Addressing a rally at Hapur road jointly with RLD vice president Jayant Chaudhury, Mayawati referred to the Deoband joint rally as the one to have rattled BJP leaders.
However, the appeal for minority vote by Mayawati at Deoband on Sunday had come under EC scanner. The four-time UP CM said, “People chanting Jai Bhim in western UP will defeat BJP, which has only served the cause of capitalists and big industrialists. The saffron party has also launched a misleading campaign along with the media against opposition parties.”
On SARAB jibe of PM Modi, Mayawati claimed that he was under the influence of ‘sharab’ (alcohol) as he was not able to see the ground reality. “I am sure people would ensure the victory of alliance candidate with a huge margin. No matter how much BJP leaders shout ‘NaMo NaMo’, people chanting Jai Bhim would chase them out of power.”
However, she accused the Congress party of lacking will to defeat the BJP saying Congress was fielding candidates to weaken fight of alliance. Mayawati said Modi government was helping a few capitalists only ignoring poor and deprived. “During the Congress rule, there was Bofors scam and now, there is Rafale. The country’s borders are not safe,” she said while downplaying the BJP rhetoric over nationalism. She also flayed the ruling party over issues like stray cattle, demonetisation, GST while accusing it of misusing agencies like CBI and ED to target political opponents.
Mayawati played Dalit and minority card to woo voters from both sections claiming current regime failed to stop atrocities against Dalits and minorities in last five years. According to the pre-poll alliance, the BSP candidates will contest from 38 seats, while the SP has contenders in 37 constituencies. The RLD has fielded its nominees on three seats, while the two seats of Amethi and Rae Bareli were left for the Congress.