Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati said that Bollywood star Salman Khan should have skipped the Saifai Mahatsov to avoid the controversy generating following apathy of Samajwadi Party Government in extending help to Muzaffarnagar riot victims.
‘’Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family enjoyed a lot during the Saifai mahatsov by misusing the public fund on entertainment when the entire state is reeling under cold wave conditions and the miseries of the Muzaffarnagar riot victims were yet to be solve,’’ she said during while addressing a ‘ Vishal Savdhan maha rally’ here on her 58th birthday on Wednesday. Mayawati had earlier announced not to celebrate her birthday and not even cut a cake on the occasion due to the Muzaffarnagar riots.
‘’Salman Khan and other Bollywood stars should have refused to perform at Saifai to avoid the controversy,’’ she said but appreciated the media for bringing the entire issue before the people even as some channels were banned by the government and Chief Minister himself bashed the media for bringing out the truth.
During her address, Mayawati also supported the creation of smaller states in the country and for creation of a bench of the Allahabad High Court in west UP. ‘’ We support creation of Telengana and Vidharba and even division of UP in four parts,” she said.
The BSP president also justified its stand on 17 backward castes which were given SC status by the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav government.’’ SC status is only given by the Central government and such act of the UP government had put these 17 castes nowhere as they ceased to be backward or SC,’’ she said.