Mayawati hits back at Amit Shah, says BJP has 'notorious goondas'

Lucknow: Stung by unrelenting barbs of BJP chief Amit Shah, BSP supremo Mayawati today hit back saying the saffron party has "notorious goondas" and everyone was aware of Shah's history as well.

She also trained guns at the Samajwadi Party government, saying in the interest of the state, the chief minister should rise above one-upmanship and family feud and look after law- and-order situation of the state.

She also said any move by SP to enter into a grand alliance proved that it had accepted defeat even before the polls. "BJP mein itney nami-girami goonday hain...main naam ginaney lag jaoon...aur iski shuruwat Gujarat sey hoti hai...Amit Shah ka kya itihas raha hai yeh aapko pata hai (BJP has a number of notorious criminals...If I started counting names...The list starts with Gujarat...You already know Amit Shah's history)," she told newspersons here.

"Not only in UP, in the country also BJP has goondas, mafia and criminal elements...you all know about it well," she said in response to the allegations made by Shah during his party's Parivatran Yatras.

Shah had alleged that BSP like the ruling SP had goondas and criminal elements.

Making light of BJP's promise to bring a change in the state in the upcoming Assembly polls, Mayawati said it will meet the same fate in Uttar Pradesh as in Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal and southern states.

"I have convened the press conference especially to expose BJP and its national leaders who are going about making tall claims and to give them a befitting reply so that common people do not fall prey to their Lok Sabha-like promises," she said.

Dubbing the Narendra Modi government as anti-farmer, she said his claims of clearing sugarcane dues of farmers in the state were far from truth.

"He is telling a lie, neither the PM nor the SP government has given a single paisa," she alleged.

Mayawati alleged that BJP had started Parivartan Yatras to hide the shortcomings of the central government and its failure to fulfil even one-third of its poll promises. They are going about saying that no development took place during BSP rule which is baseless, she claimed.

BSP, during all its four times in power, did not help capitalists like BJP but worked for 'Sarv Samaj' (all the society), she said, citing various projects undertaken by her government.

Mayawati said the works started by her government were either stopped altogether by the present SP government or renamed but they did not have the same momentum.

Hitting out at Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, she said, "The head of the SP government should find some time out of his family one-upmanship and fight for survival and mend the dismal law and order of the state as well as the bad state of environment in the districts adjoining national capital..."

To questions, she said any move by SP to enter into a grand alliance proved that it had already accepted defeat. "In these elections, the camps of Akhilesh and Shivpal will ensure the defeat of each other. Everyone, especially Muslims, have come to know about it and the amount of drama," she said, adding that had SP really worked and taken care of the law and order, they would not have to rely on others.

Mayawati exuded confidence that her party will get absolute majority in the coming polls and ruled out any alliance, saying, "Only the weak look for support."