Assuring to ensure law and order and put the state back on the road to development, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Thursday launched her campaign for the 2017, UP Assembly polls on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar. Making full use of the occasion, Mayawati addressed a strong gathering at the Dr B R Ambedkar Samajik and Parivartan Sthal in lucknow.
She attacked the ruling Samajwadi Party for the 'misrule' in UP and exhorted the people to vote the party to power in the state.
"The present Chief Minister is only interested in playing cricket and visiting foreign countries while large chunk of public money is being spent in his native village Saifai. Officers may have helped the CM to win the cricket match but in the imminent polls, they would be of no help. The ruling SP claimed lucknow Metro and the Expressway in its development agenda but the fact remains that both projects were the brainchild of the previous BSP regime," she asserted.
Reiterating that if returned to power, the BSP would not go for construction of any new memorial or parks, the four-time CM of UP said that this time her government will fully focus on law and order and development.
"The law and order situation in UP is in a shambles with criminals ruling the roost. If my party comes to power, then these criminals would be in jail soon after the govenment is formed. Besides, all schemes and policies implemented in the last year of SP rule would be reviewed to ensure maximum benefit to the people," she promised.
Buoyed by the large attendance, Mayawati said that such crowd celebrating Dr Ambedkar's birth anniversary was proof enough that the people wanted the BSP back in 2017. She said that the common man has understood that only the BSP could fulfill their aspirations and dreams across caste and community lines.
Reacting to Opposition criticism for setting up her own statue, Mayawati said, "I did so to honour the wishes of BSP founder Kanshi Ram, who wanted it to be by the side of his statue. This was also penned in his will."
The former CM later trained her gusn at the BJP and the Congress alleging that both were hand in glove with the SP government in the state and indirectly supporting the government even as people were reeling under the 'misrule.'
The BSP later took a dig at the newly appointed state BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya pointing out his criminal history. "It is good that an OBC has been made the state chief of BJP but it is certain that this main has been pitched in to implement the agenda of the RSS like Kalyan Singh in the past," she claimed.
She also castigated the Madhya Pradesh government for organising a programme on Dr Ambedkar's birth anniversary by forcing school students to attend it. "The BJP government at the Centre was also holding functions in different parts of the country besides announcing the settingup of Ambedkar memorials. But the programme in lucknow by the BSP is a landmark function eclipsing all past records," she stressed.
Expressing grief over the death of BSP leader Marut Prabhakar in a road accident in Amroha on Wednesday night, while heading to lucknow to attend the function, Mayawati announced Rs 11 lakh as compensation to the victim's family and free treatment to three injured including the Amroha chief.
The BSP function at the Dr Ambedkar Samajik and Parivartan Sthal blocked all arterial roads to and from Gomti Nagar. More than 1000 buses and around one lakh party workers thronged the venue creating massive problem for the police and traffic. The entire city was enveloped with BSP flags and hoardings while leaders and supporters from the far flung areas poured into the city since early Thursday morning.