Mayawati should concentrate on UP, not divert attention: Congress

The Congress Saturday advised Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati to concentrate on the electorate of her state rather than accusing it of trying to split Dalit votes ahead of the Assembly elections there.

"She has been making an attempt to divert the attention of the people. People are wise and they will democratically show BSP its true face in the polls," Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said. 

Tewari was reacting to the chief minister's claim that Congress is contemplating to make a Dalit as the Prime Minister of the country ahead of the UP polls.

On the Lokpal issue, he said the Bill is under consideration of a Standing Committee of Parliament and the same is being debated.

"We will get a strong Lokpal in the end after a debate on it," he added.

Tewari also said his party strongly condemns the recent attack on Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan in his Supreme Court chamber.

"Congress always believes that the democratic discourse must not be vitiated by violence," the spokesman said.  The Congress spokesman also took a dig at the BJP on anti-corruption front, saying it was ironical that former Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa is fighting for bail in a corruption case at a time when the party is undertaking an anti-corruption yatra.

"Perhaps it would have been far more appropriate if the anti-corruption yatra would have been first undertaken in Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Punjab where BJP ministers and functionary have been indicted on charges of corruption," he remarked.