Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati Sunday lashed out at the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for their "pro-corporate" policies and described both parties as "anti-people".
"Both, the Congress and the BJP, have pro-corporate, anti-people policies. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre and the Congress government in Maharashtra have failed to address the concerns of a common man," she said while addressing a rally here.
She urged the local party leaders and functionaries to work hard to expand the party's base in the state.
"The interests of the people belonging to backward classes of the society have been ignored. I urge the local leadership to unite and engage these people under the BSP banner," she said.
Criticising the foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail, Mayawati said this and other government policies have pushed inflation, poverty and unemployment at an all-time high.
"The poor and middle class people are the worst affected by such policies. We (BSP) have always raised our voices to oppose such policies and come out in support of the marginalised sections of the society," she said.
Thousands of BSP workers from across Maharashtra gathered here to participate in the rally.