BSP to go it alone in LS polls: Mayawati

Lucknow: Kicking off her party's election campaign at a mega rally here, Mayawati today said BSP would not forge an alliance with Congress, BJP or any other party and would go it alone in the Lok Sabha polls.

"BSP will fight the Lok Sabha elections across the country, alone," she said, addressing 'Savdhan Vishal Maharally' here, coinciding with her birthday. The BSP supremo asserted that her party would not form an alliance with any party in Uttar Pradesh or at the national level. "We will not enter into an alliance with Congress, BJP or any other party in UP or at the national level. There have been reports in a section of media that BSP will enter into alliance with Congress. This is not true," she said.

Mayawati also lashed out at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for the Godhra riots. "When the Chief Minister of a state having a population of six crore could not prevent Godhra riots between Hindus and Muslims, how can he generate unity among people from various castes and religions? "Godhra incident jolted the country but in all his meetings, Modi make promises and talks about Gujarat pattern of development," she said.

The BSP leader claimed that the reality was, however, different and cited a CAG report to highlight the condition of children and SC/STs in his home state. "They (BJP) claim to end corruption but in Gujarat, the institution which keeps an eye on it, the Lokayukta, was set up only on the directive of the court and it is also very weak," she said.

"He (Modi) is promising to curb inflation, corruption, unemployment and also bring blackmoney back into the country, but the saying 'garajne vale badal bareste nahin' (clouds that thunder don't produce rain) appears appropriate in this case," she said.

Mayawati also accused the then BJP government of misusing CBI to pressurise her party in 2003 to forge an alliance at the national level. "In those days, we had formed a coalition government with BJP in Uttar Pradesh and there was an understanding that both parties will head the government for six months each. BJP, which was also heading the NDA government, thought that if they can force an early Lok Sabha election and win most seats in Uttar Pradesh, they can continue to rule 15 to 20 years," she said.

The BSP supremo claimed that the national leadership of BJP had given her an offer that she can continue to rule Uttar Pradesh for the next five years on her own, but forge an alliance with the NDA for Lok Sabha polls and give it maximum seats. "I thought that if I gave them that many seats, our party will be finished... They also misused CBI to pressurise me to forge an alliance but being the self-respecting woman that I am, I resigned in August, 2003. "I had decided that I will not trade my movement with the communal forces even if I had to spend my entire life behind bars," she said. In an indirect attack on Congress, she said, "It is not just good policies but also the clear intention to implement them which is important."

Mayawati said unlike parties which make promises and offer allurements, her party believed in doing work at the ground level. She said the poor, farmers and common man in the country were suffering due to the wrong policies of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. Hitting out at Samajwadi Party, Mayawati accused the SP government of shutting down various welfare schemes started during her regime and claimed that the state had turned into "crime pradesh" under its rule.

The former UP chief minister also criticised BJP's proposed move to set up 'Statue of Unity' in memory of Sardar Patel and said BJP's 'Run for Unity' on his death anniversary recently was a "big drama" to woo the voters of his caste. Slamming the party, Mayawati said, "BJP ruled the country for six years and has government in several states.. why have they not fulfilled all these promises there?" "If Muslims vote en masse for BSP, it would weaken BJP and forces doing communal politics and it (BJP) would not be able to form government easily at the Centre," Maywati said.

Taking on Samajwadi Party, she said, "A number of welfare schemes started during my regime have been shut down by the current SP government due to political malice." Corruption and communal tension were at a peak in Uttar Pradesh, she said, adding that "Under these circumstances, the Centre should have put the state under President's Rule and established brotherhood and amity."

Speaking at the rally at Ramabai Ambedkar maidan, the BSP supremo, who chose not to celebrate her birthday because of the Muzaffarnagar riots, said Uttar Pradesh has become "Crime Pradesh" under SP rule and people in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli were yet to recover from the riots. She warned her supporters against "internal understanding" between all political opponents of BSP, saying they were out to woo them with allurements.

Mayawati also warned the people of the designs of her opponents, who she said could project a Dalit as prime minister or chief minister for taking their votes. "They can also make them (Dalits) as prime minister or chief minister but for a short time. The real power would be in the hands of the one having casteist mentality," she said.