By IANS
Bhopal : The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will withdraw support to the central government, party chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati said here Sunday, accusing the Congress, which leads the ruling coalition, of threatening her with court cases.
Addressing an impressive ‘Bhaichara Rally’ or brotherhood rally, Mayawati said the BSP would withdraw support after the budget session of parliament beginning this month since the Congress, which leads the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), was “trying to trap me in the Taj Corridor case”.
“Worried over the BSP’s widening mass base, the Congress and its allies want to put political pressure on me by threatening to reopen the Taj Corridor case so that I am not able to move ahead towards working for the welfare of poor people. But I will not bow down to any pressure,” Mayawati said.
The case relates to financial irregularities, allegedly committed during her earlier term as Uttar Pradesh chief minister, in a project to develop malls near the Taj Mahal.
“Both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments that have ruled the country in the past 60 years have done nothing to improve the condition of weaker sections of society as they have become a tool in the hands of the capitalists and big industrialists who support them financially during every elections. In return, these parties make such policies which suit the rich,” she said.
Demanding reservation for the poor in private firms, at least those executing government projects, Mayawati said if voted to power in next the Lok Sabha polls, her government would provide for reservation for the poor among the upper castes too.
“In Uttar Pradesh, my government has made the provision of reservation in the private sector and that should be followed in other states,” she said.
“My party’s government will give reservation to all the economically weaker sections of society, including those of the upper castes.”
The BSP chief said that while she has been demanding reservation also for the Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians, there was a move to do away with the quota for Dalit and other backward classes (OBCs).
“I have written several letters to the central government for providing reservation to Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians but to no avail,” she added.
Making a scathing attack on the Congress, Mayawati said it had not provided security to her as required and exhorted people to take “revenge” if anything happened to her.
She asserted that the BSP was not a party of any particular caste or an anti-upper caste organisation, but it was for all sections of society. She urged people to vote for it in the next elections to the Madhya Pradesh assembly and to the Lok Sabha.
After the BSP surprised many with a stunning victory in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls last year, the party has been attempting to enlarge its base outside the state. It is also eyeing neighbouring Madhya Pradesh which goes to assembly polls later this year.