In an attempt to keep the Dalit agenda alive, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati questioned silence of the BJP, Congress and the Samajwadi Party over the derogatory remarks of Baba Ramdev made against the Dalits recently.
“This is very unfortunate. The BJP leaders Narendra Modi and Rajnath Singh are yet to react while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against whom the remark was made and his mother Sonia Gandhi are still to take congisance of such remarks by the yoga guru. It is very unfortunate,’’ she said after casting her vote.
Talking to reporters here Mayawati said that the Samajwadi Party Government was trying to shield him and even called the yoga guru as Ramdev Yadav.
“The Election Commission should take strict action against the Baba and send him to jail for his derogatory remarks about Dalits and Rahul Gandhi. If required the case should be shifted to Delhi for better action,’’ she said.
Ramdev has already apologised for his remarks made in lucknow saying that Rahul Gandhi goes to Dalit village for picnic and honeymoon.
She said Dalits would never forgive the political parties and the leaders who did not condemn the Baba for his remarks. “BSP is the only party which criticised Ramdev Yadav and even demanded his arrest. But the UP Government has just lodged FIRs and banned his programmes which is not enough against a person who insulted the Dalits,” she said.
The BSP leader also claimed that the BJP tried to woo the Dalit voters this time but after the Ramdev incident, now all Dalits are united against the BJP and other parties.
Mayawati claimed that there is no such Modi wave in the country and the wave calimed by the BJP is only in the media and opinion polls. “BJP does not know the ground reality and this wave does not exist anywhere,” she said.
She also alleged that the BJP and other political parties are doing ‘drama’ to obtain Dalit votes but claimed that the Dalits would not entertain these parties.
When her attention was drawn towards claims of BJP leaders that Dr BR Ambedkar was anti-Muslim, she contradicted the charges and claimed that giving the Constitution a secular status is itself a pro-Muslim act.
Appealing to the people of the country, particularly the Dalits and weaker sections, to vote en masse for a good Government in the country, the BSP president said Dr BR Ambedkar had given the rights to the people to vote and they should use it with authority.
She claimed that the mood of the people seems that they want a change at the Centre this time.