At the rally, Mayawati slammed the Congress for trying to push the Women's Reservation Bill through and defended the installation of her own statues across Uttar Pradesh.
Even as she came under attack in Parliament over the communal violence in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati today held a rally in Lucknow in a big show of strength and slammed the Congress for pushing the Women's Reservation Bill.
Calling the Congress anti-Dalit, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader announced that demonstrations will be staged against the bill across the country on April 14, birth anniversary of Dalit icon Dr BR Ambedkar.
The rally held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the BSP and attended by tens of thousands of people came under intense
attack from Mayawati's arch rival, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
"While Bareilly is on fire, the Mayawati government is spending Rs200 crore of public money on a rally," Yadav said in the Lok Sabha.
Yadav was joined by Congress and BJP members in demanding
the Centre's intervention to bring back normalcy in the riot-hit town. They attacked the chief minister for her government's handling of the situation. The Union home ministry has sought a report from the Uttar Pradesh government on the circumstances that led to the situation in Bareilly.
Blue, the colour of the BSP, dominated Lucknow's cityscape ahead of the rally, touted as the biggest ever in the state.
Hitting back at the opposition parties criticising her for installing her own statues throughout the state, Mayawati said the law does not prevent one from erecting statues of living persons.
In her address, the chief minister said, "The Congress and other political parties have always been against Dalits and this is evident from the fact that no separate quota has been carved out for SC/ST women in the 33% reservation proposed in the Women's Reservation Bill."
"From all those people criticising installation of my statues, I would like to ask them in which book of law has it been written that statues of living persons cannot be erected," Mayawati said.
She said her statues were being installed as per the written will of BSP founder Kanshi Ram.
"Kanshi Ramji in his will has directed me to install my statues along with those of him," she claimed.
"The Congress people claim themselves to be the biggest sympathisers of women and are praising Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia
Gandhi. In reality, whatever rights women have got in the field of education, employment and politics, it is due to Ambedkar," she said.
During zero hour In the Lok Sabha, Yadav raised the issue of the violence in Bareilly, which has been under curfew for a fortnight. "What did the state government do to prevent it and bring it under control?" he asked.
His party colleague, Shailendra Kumar, sought the Centre's intervention and demanded a statement on the situation.
Janata Dal (United) chief Sharad Yadav, who criticised the state government for preventing political leaders from visiting the town and nearby areas, said the Centre should make a statement on the situation today itself.
"In the last 10 years, Bareilly was never under curfew for 14 continuous days," he said.
Joining the attack on the Mayawati government, Jagdambika Pal, Congress MP from Uttar Pradesh, said, "The state government has failed on the law and order front and it appears to be helpless. The Centre should intervene."
BJP members were agitated that Maneka Gandhi, who
represents nearby Aonla, was not allowed to have her say despite repeated pleas.
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