‘The Congress and BJP are same, both of them do not think of the Dalit and backward classes, Adivasis,’ said BSP chief Mayawati in Mysuru on Wednesday.
Mayawati was attending a rally ahead of the May 12 assembly polls in Karnataka.
According to estimates, SC/STs and OBCs form more than 50% of the electorate in the state.
Hitting the campaign trail, the former UP CM attacked both the national parties for “mistreatment against backward castes, minorities”. Alongside were former PM HD Devegowda, his son and chief ministerial aspirant HD Kumaraswamy.
Invoking the Mandal Commission recommendations on reservations, she said, ”Although the Mandal Commission report came out during the Congress regime, it was put in place by the VP Singh government. Both the Congress and the BJP have done their best not to implement the recommendations.”
Taking credit for its implementation, she said, “The BSP offered outside support to the VP Singh government on two conditions. One was to implement the recommendations of the report and second to give recognition to BR Ambedkar with the Bharat Ratna.”
Attacking the Congress for invoking Ambedkar for Dalit ‘votes’, she said, “The Congress ruled for the maximum time since the British left but they did not honour him with the Bharat Ratna. She also attacked the BJP saying, “The BJP was the one who protested the implementation of Mandal Commission recommendations.”
Addressing a sea of supporters with blue, white and green flags, the BSP supremo endorsed JD(S) chief ministerial candidate HD Kumaraswamy for the race to Vidhana Soudha.
Mocking PM Narendra Modi on his statement- “Not taking bribe and not allowing anyone to take bribe”, she said that scandals like the PNB scam, Vijay Mallya’s escape have punctured his claim.
She further added, “Under the current regime at the Centre, atrocities against minorities, Dalits have only risen which exposes their casteist, communal nature.”
BSP will contest a total of 20 seats in the southern state in alliance with the pro-peasant JD(S) which has a strong presence in the Vokkaliga dominated Old Mysuru region. In the 2013 polls, the JD(S) came a joint second winning a total of 40 seats alongside BJP.
Speaking after Mayawati, Kumaraswamy brought up the recent statement by Salman Khurshid regarding communal incidents that took place during Congress rule.
“Today, Salman Khurshid admitted that the blood of Muslims is on its hands. So do remember this, they are not secular. The only secular party is JD(S) and BSP,” he said.