A day after sharing the stage with old rival Mulayam Singh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati came out in defence of Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan’s sexist remark against Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Jaya Prada in Rampur Lok Sabha constituency on Saturday.
The Election Commission had imposed gag order on Khan following his derogatory comments about Jaya Prada.
“Chowkidar of BJP, Jaya Prada, attempted to spoil the poll atmosphere. The people of Rampur must ensure her defeat in the election by record votes,” Mayawati said at a poll rally of SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Rampur.
Making a fervent appeal for ensuring the victory of SP candidate Azam Khan, the BSP chief said, “Please ensure the victory of Azam Khan by a record margin. The alliance will fulfil the unfulfilled dreams of Ram Manohar Lohia, Chaudhary Charan Singh and Kanshiram.’’
Playing the caste card to the hilt, Mayawati said, “The quota of reserved seats for Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes and Scheduled Tribes has remained unfilled in government departments and same is the case with reservations in promotion for Schedules Castes state employees. The exploitation and persecution of SC, ST and OBCs has risen sharply during the (Narendra) Modi rule and government works are being outsourced and given to private sector without making provision for reservation for SC, ST and OBCs.’’
Dubbing the Congress and BJP as ‘two sides of the same coin’, the BSP chief said, “The Congress was thrown out of power in 1989 Lok Sabha polls following the Bofors scandal in which kickbacks were taken by Congress leaders and now it is the turn of the BJP to be dislodged from power for corruption in acquisition of Rafale fighter jets from France.’’
Mayawati accused the BJP and Congress of “offering allurements” at election time and asked people not to fall prey to them.
“Don’t be swayed by ‘hawa-hawai’ BJP manifesto full of allurements. The promise of ‘achhey din’ by the BJP has proved to be as hollow as the ones given by earlier Congress governments at the Centre,” Mayawati said.
“BJP’s Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ has been reduced to a ‘jumlebaazi’. Similar alluring promises are being made by the Congress also,” she said.
Attacking the Union government on demonetisation and goods and services tax (GST), Mayawati said that both the steps were carried out in a hurry without any preparation.
“This only resulted in heightened poverty and unemployment. Small and medium traders are most unhappy and the economy has been hit and corruption has peaked,” she claimed.
Addressing the rally, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the BJP would not be able to get a single seat in the first and second phases of the polling held on April 11 and 18 and also in the third phase voting slated for April 23.
“We are confident that the BJP will not be able to open its account in the first three phases of polling,” Yadav said.
“The country is passing through a very sensitive phase. Every section of society has been troubled. Farmers and youths are suffering. In a democracy, those who trouble people are taken to task by the same people when the time comes,” Akhilesh said.
Attacking the BJP for terming the alliance as ‘mahamilavat’, Akhilesh said that it was going to bring about ‘mahaparivartan’ (big change).
“The BJP leaders say that a new country will be made but the alliance is saying that the country is going to get a new prime minister and then only a new country will be made,” he said.
