Mayawati keeps poll, n-deal cards close to her chest

By IANS

Chandigarh : Keeping every one guessing about her next move on crucial issues, including the India-US nuclear deal, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Saturday ruled out allying with any party if an early general election was held.


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“About the nuclear deal issue, our party (Bahujan Samajwadi Party, BSP) will make its stand known once a discussion on this matter is held in parliament,” Mayawati said.

The BSP chief, who rules the country’s most populated state, said there was no question of her party going in for alliance with any other party in the eventuality of early elections.

“Let me make it very clear that the BSP will not ally with any party. We will contest all elections on our own and unite all sections of society to assume power in Delhi. The Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other parties have not done enough for the people of India since independence. They are our enemies,” Mayawati said.

She said that BSP would field its own candidates on all seats in the upcoming assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

Commenting on a sting operation by the Tehelka newsmagazine on Gujarat’s communal violence of 2002, she said she had written to the prime minister to order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe following the new revelations Friday.

Mayawati said her party was all for having job and education reservations for poor people among religious minorities and among upper castes along with people of the weaker sections who enjoy the quota benefits.

“I have raised the issue of reservation for the poor among upper castes and religious minorities with the prime minister in writing. He has not yet responded. If we come to power at the centre, we will immediately implement this. We also want reservation for various categories in the private sector,” she said.

The chief minister said that new investors in Uttar Pradesh will have to adhere to the new government policy of offering reservation to various sections, including the upper caste poor and religious minorities.

She said that her state would attract fresh investments, as her government’s first priority was to restore law and order to boost the investors’ confidence.

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