By IANS
Chandigarh : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Saturday caused a flutter by saying that Mahatma Gandhi had divided the nation on caste lines whereas Dalit leader B.R. Ambedkar had strived to unite all sections of society.
Addressing a meet-the-press programme at the Chandigarh Press Club on her maiden visit to the city as chief minister, Mayawati minced no words to say that the father of the nation, who is credited for leading India’s non-violent struggle to end the British rule in the country, had divided the country.
“It was he (Gandhi) who gave the name Harijan to people from lower castes and weaker sections of society. He divided Indian society into two categories – the weaker sections and upper castes,” the chief minister said.
“It was Ambedkar who tried to unite all sections of society. I don’t want to undermine Gandhi’s contribution to the freedom struggle but that also led to the division of Indian society,” Mayawati asserted.
She said her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) would continue with its ideology to bring the weaker and neglected sections of society to the forefront and also to unite all categories – from weaker sections to religious minorities to upper castes – through its social engineering process.
Mayawati said the BSP, which this year romped home to power with a clear majority in the Uttar Pradesh assembly, would expand its base and try its social engineering campaign of uniting various sections of society in other states and at the centre.
“As and when the occasion arises and my party workers want me to take control (of power) in Delhi, I must tell you, I will not disappoint them,” Mayawati said with a big smile on her face when asked about her prime ministerial ambitions.