By IANS,
Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati Friday charged the Congress-led central government with ignoring her state and said it would march forward without the UPA’s support.
“Even without the support of the central government, Uttar Pradesh will continue to tread on the development path,” Mayawati said here in an Independence Day function held in front of the state assembly.
“Without the support of the union government, we have succeeded in undertaking and executing several developmental projects in the Bundelkhand region,” she said at the function held amid tight security.
In the wake of terror threats, the surroundings of the state assembly were cordoned off by the police for the function attended by about 2,000 people, including ministers, police and district administration officials.
Mayawati said providing equal opportunities to every section of the society would continue to remain one of her government’s main priorities. “Our government has undertaken a number of projects even for the welfare of people belonging to upper castes,” she said.
“It was the BSP government that for the first time implemented reservations for the upper caste poor in the private sector,” she said.
The government has also lifted the ban on new appointments imposed by the previous government that was affecting those belonging to the general category, said Mayawati.
She paid rich tributes to freedom fighters and said the country would become independent in the true sense only after achieving “social and economic independence” that will empower the country to emerge as a strong nation.
The chief minister said that her government would not compromise with law and order on any front and congratulated state police officials for their campaign against bandits.
“It is due to the dedication of the police that dreaded bandits like Thokia and others have been eliminated,” said Mayawati.
Mayawati presented the Chief Minister’s Gallantry Police Awards to four police officials, including Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Brij Lal, Senior Superintendent of Police (STF) Amitabh Yash, Superintendent of Police Ghaziabad Vijay Bhushan and Inspector civil police Agra Jagdish Singh.