Maywati banking on Muslim candidates to take her to PM's post

Hoping to fulfil her prime ministerial ambitions with support from Muslims and Dalits, Mayawati on Tuesday said a victory for BSP's 19 Muslim candidates will ensure a "balance of power" for the community and that a 'Dalit ki beti' becomes PM in the next government.

Addressing an election rally here, Mayawati, who has fielded 19 Muslim candidates of a total of 80 from Uttar Pradesh, said that if all of them won then BSP would emerge as a "balance of power" at the Centre and she might herself become the Prime Minister.

If all 19 Muslims candidates won, BSP might work as balance of power at the Centre and if not a Muslim, a "Dalit ki beti" could become the Prime Minister, she said making her prime ministerial ambitions quite clear.

Training her guns on BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, the BSP supremo said the country would witness riots if he was voted to power just as Godhra riots had taken place during his tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat.

"When Godhra riots could take place in Gujarat in 2002 during his tenure as Chief Minister, the entire country could face communal riots when he becomes Prime Minister," she said.

Raking up the case of slain UP DSP Zia-ul-Haq who was killed in Kunda while performing his duties, Mayawati hit out at the ruling Samajwadi Party government saying those responsible for his murder have not been arrested yet.

"Muslim community should not trust a government which could not give justice to Haq's family," she said.

Attacking Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati said he was "full of hatred".

He termed the money spent on construction of memorials for Dalit icons as misuse but at the same time utilised the income earned through its tickets, she alleged.