By IANS
New Delhi : Tens of thousands of supporters of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati have converged in the capital’s Ram Lila grounds Sunday for a massive show of strength by the Dalit leader.
The BSP supremo’s ‘Sarv Samaj Bhaichara’ (brotherhood rally) comes a few days after she hinted she might not withdraw support to the United Progressive Alliance government with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreeing to most of the demands put forth by her for Uttar Pradesh’s development.
Mayawati, who became Uttar Pradesh chief minister for the fourth time in May 2007, put the Congress party in a spot in the last Delhi civic polls when her party won 17 wards and was runner-up in 30 others – a clear sign that the BSP had eaten into the Congress’ Dalit vote bank.
“She has held rallies all over the country after becoming chief minister in May. From Jammu, Shimla, Chandigarh, Ludhiana in the north to Bangalore and Thiruvananthpuram in the south and Baroda in the west to Kolkata in the east of the country, the BSP has held successful rallies all over,” said a BSP leader.
Mayawati has held public meetings in 18 state capitals so far. Her last rally in the capital was during her earlier tenure as chief minister in 2002.
The Congress will be watching the BSP rally keenly as Mayawati is trying to implement a social engineering formula involving Dalits and Brahmins coming together on the same political platform, like in Uttar Pradesh.