Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Monday took jibe at leaders of the rival parties, saying that just bowing before the statue of Gautam Buddha would do nothing as even today life could be blessed only by following the principles and the path shown by him.
Mayawati also greeted the followers of Lord Buddha on the occasion of Buddha Purnima. She also claimed that during the BSP rule in Uttar Pradesh, she followed the principles of Lord Buddha.
In a statement issued by the BSP headquarters in Lucknow, Mayawati said, "To bow down is a different matter but by following the principles of saints, gurus and great men like Gautam Buddha, the goal of making people's lives happy can be achieved."
The BSP chief said, "That is why there is a need to make sincere efforts to make the country a Jagadguru once again by following the principles of Gautam Buddha, rising above all kinds of malice and narrow-mindedness, for which the BSP is striving and struggling. There is no going back on this objective."
She said in the campaign to bring social and economic changes, the society as well as the governments would have to remove the difference between words and deeds by making their intentions pure and honest, and this would be a true tribute to Lord Buddha.
Mayawati said that Gautam Buddha adorned Indian history with truthful knowledge in the form of 'Jyoti Punj' of Asia. She said among his followers, Emperor Chandragupta Maurya and the great Emperor Ashoka laid a strong foundation for social revolution by establishing Bahujan Hitay and Bahujan Sukhay as the basic thread of their constitution.
She said that the BSP ran its government on the policy of Sarvajan Hitay Sarvajan Sukhay when it came to power in UP.
Mayawati said that under the principles of Gautam Buddha, the BSP government had started the Ambedkar Gram Sabha Samagra Vikas Yojana very effectively and villages were equipped with basic facilities. The BSP chief alleged that this was not liked by the opponents and it did not mean anything to them.
Referring to the work done in the name of Gautam Buddha, Mayawati said that district Gautam Buddha Nagar and Mahamaya Nagar were established by the BSP government on May 6, 1997, while on Buddha Purnima on May 25, 1997, Shravasti district and on April 4, 1997 Kaushambi district came into existence. She said that on May 22, 1997 the name of Padrauna was changed to Kushinagar.