Addressing a mammoth rally to mark the BSP’s 25th anniversary and party founder Kanshi Ram’s birth anniversary on Monday, she lambasted opposition parties.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati warned on Monday that if the Election Commission (EC) forfeited the BSP’s election symbol (elephant), then the party symbols of the Samajwadi Party (cycle) and the Congress (hand) should also be forfeited.
Addressing a mammoth rally to mark the BSP’s 25th anniversary and party founder Kanshi Ram’s birth anniversary on Monday, she lambasted opposition parties, particularly the Congress, on issues ranging from rising prices to women’s reservation.
“The difference between our election symbol and the elephant statues installed in the memorials are obvious. They have their trunks raised as a traditional mark of welcome. The elephant in our party symbol has its trunk hanging down,” she reasoned.
Mayawati also asked the Congress not to mislead people by
promising development. “The Congress wants to claim credit for the Women’s Reservation Bill, but it gives no separate quota to Dalit women. It was not the Congress but Dr Ambedkar who gave reservations to deprived sections and equal rights to women in our Constitution,” she said.
“The Congress has put up statues of Nehru-Gandhi family members across the country, but they raise objections when Dalits put up statues of their icons… This shows that Congress is biased against Dalits,” she remarked.
Talking about her own statues, she wanted to know which law in the country prevented the installation of statues of living persons.
Discounting charges of dilution of Dalit ideology, Mayawati said, “I can never alienate myself from the Bahujan movement and will continue to work for the Dalits till the last drop of my blood. I will never let Dalits hang their heads in shame,” she asserted, inviting a thunderous round of applause.
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