Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Tuesday appealed to workers of her party and the Samajwadi Party to forget their past differences, reported PTI. The Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party have forged an alliance to contest 38 seats each in Uttar Pradesh during the Lok Sabha elections.
“Forget past differences and ensure victory of all candidates of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party,” Mayawati said at a press conference in Lucknow on her 63rd birthday. “This will be my ideal birthday gift.”
She also asked her party workers and leaders to mark the day as Jankalyankari Diwas or Public Welfare Day.
Mayawati said people were suffering due to the wrong policies of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, reported Hindustan Times. “The people have taught BJP a lesson in the recently-concluded elections in five states,” she said. “It’s a lesson for Congress as well. People are raising questions over Congress government in the three states since it has not fulfilled its promises.”
She said the BJP’s “communal policy” has led to discontentment among people. “Saffron leaders are dividing Gods along caste lines,” she said. “The minority community are not allowed to offer Friday prayer.” She said the farmers, youth and traders in the country are feeling cheated as the BJP government has failed to fulfil its promise.
She said the loan waiver policy announced by the Congress in three states was wrong. “The relief provided to the farmers who have taken loan from bank is inadequate,” she said. “[A] majority of the farmers take loan from money lenders. The central and state governments should make [a] policy to provide them a relief.”
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said her party had always worked for the poor and the downtrodden, ANI reported. “The government should give 100% farm loan waiver else farmer suicides will continue,” she said, adding that a strong farm loan waiver policy should be formulated.
She also said that BSP supports farmers’ demand for implementation of Swaminathan Commission report on increasing minimum support prices of crops. “Marginal and landless farmers have also taken loan, but there is no policy to provide them relief. Demonetisation and GST have added to their woes,” she said.
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