BSP's right turn: Mayawati promises no derailment of BJP's work in Mathura, Kashi and Ayodhya

BSP supremo Mayawati on Saturday promised not to derail the ongoing work of the BJP government in “Ayodhya, Varanasi, Mathura and other religious places” if voted to power.

Claiming that the BJP government’s works in the three holy cities are only the follow-ups of her government's initiatives, Mayawati went on to promise, in what is being seen as a subtle shift towards soft Hindutva ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, to complete all those work on time.

She made the promise while addressing the 15th death anniversary of BSP founder Kanshi Ram here and asserting that if voted to power, she will not indulge in misappropriating the credit for work done by the preceding governments like the SP and the BJP regimes.

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"The BSP, if voted to power, will not stop the developmental work of the current BJP government, which followed the footsteps of the BSP, in Ayodhya, Varanasi, Mathura and other religious places,” said Mayawati.

“The unfinished works will not be stopped with a feeling of vengeance but will be completed," she promised. “The drama of changing names of the work done by other governments will not be done by the BSP like the Samajwadi Party and the Bhartiya Janata Party did,” she said.

“All the works of their governments will be honestly reviewed. The work which is appropriate and in the public interest will definitely be taken ahead of and finished on time," she added. Apart from the construction of a massive Lord Rama temple, a multi-pronged developmental work, including the construction of an international airport, is going in Ayodhya.

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Developmental work in form of the construction of the Kashi Vishvanath corridor project is going on in Varanasi while several beautification projects have been undertaken for Mathura and Vrindavan. Earlier while addressing a Brahmins conclave organised by the party on September 7, Mayawati had also promised that rather than building statues and memorials, she would, if voted power, focus on changing the face of Uttar Pradesh through developmental works.

In the run-up to the Punjab assembly elections, which the BSP has decided to fight in alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal, Mayawati also took a dig at the Congress over the appointment of a Dalit chief minister in the state. “Despite trumpeting about making a Dalit the Punjab chief minister and dramatics to woo the Sikhs, people of that community cannot forget the pain of the anti-Sikh riots under its rule,” she said.

She also lashed at the Aam Aadmi Party accusing its government in Delhi of doing little in facilitating the movement of UP-bound migrant workers to their native state during the Covid lockdown. She also dismissed the AAP’s promise of providing free power and water in UP and Punjab as “promises made in the air”.

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Addressing the function at Kanshi Ram Smarak Sthal, the BSP chief also demanded a Bharat Ratna the BSP founder.

Insinuating that media houses take up pre-poll surveys only to influence popular mandate, Mayawati said she would soon write to the Election Commission of India to ban pre-poll surveys by media for at least six months before the elections.

Mayawati's remarks came a day after a news channel survey showed that the BJP is poised to win most of the UP assembly seats in 2022 and retain power. She also alleged that the BJP-led Centre and UP governments were misusing the state machinery to make the atmosphere in their favour for the elections in the most populous state.

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"It is known to everyone that when these tactics do not work, the BJP will eventually give the election a Hindu-Muslim colour and try to take full political advantage in its garb. Elections have to be fought keeping this in mind," she said.

Taking on the AAP for its pre-poll promises of providing free water and power etc in UP, Mayawati said, “The BJP, SP and Congress along with the AAP, Shiv Sena and party of (Asaduddin) Owaisi are making various types of promises to the people of the state to get votes.”

“There is no strength in these promises. This time, all the political parties are going to make more lucrative promises in their election manifesto. The people of the state should never be misled by those promises," she said.

Elections for the 403-member UP assembly is scheduled for early next year.

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