Mayawati takes veiled dig at Narendra Modi

In a veiled reference to reports that Gujarat CM Narendra Modi had rescued 15,000 Gujaratis from Uttarakhand, Mayawati on Sunday said BSP condemns a political party whose leader seeks to become a PM candidate but talks about saving people only from his own state. "We strongly condemn the political party, whose leader stakes claim for the post of the PM, but talks about saving people only from Gujarat," she said. The BSP supremo said from this, the personality of such a leader could be gauged. "A person having such a narrow mentality cannot be the one to occupy the top post with honesty. You have to keep this in mind," Mayawati said while addressing Brahmin Bhaichara Sammelan at Ramabai Ambedkar ground here. She said some political parties were indulging in "politics" over the calamity in Uttarakhand. "BSP requested the Centre and the state government to extend maximum possible assistance, but I am sad to say that even at this time of deep trouble, some political parties are indulging in politics," she alleged. She said BSP has appealed partymen to extend maximum help to the victims and has requested the Centre to declare it a national calamity. "We are grieved with massive loss of life and property due to incessant rain and landslide in Uttarakhand, we pray to give courage to the affected people," she said. Mayawati said following the ideology of Dr Ambedkar, BSP was formed on April 14, 1983, and at that time almost all the political parties spread canard that it was a party of only Dalits and not that of upper cast. "That was totally misleading because the ideology and principles of BSP are not against any caste or religion. It wants to create an equitable system," she said. The BSP supremo said people of all religions and castes should get equal opportunity to progress, but the opposition parties indulged in canard so that upper caste and minorities do not get associated with BSP. "We cannot come to the Centre without associating all the caste with us. My party has decided to associate upper caste and religious minorities along with dalits and backward and we started from Uttar Pradesh," she said. Mayawati said she herself took up the task and associated people of Sarv Samaj between 2003 to 2007. "We ran the government of sarvjan sukhay and sarvjan hitay honestly," she said. Alleging that all the opposition parties had a tacit understanding in the last assembly elections, she said in a bid to succeed, they used tactics due to which a large number of people from backward caste, upper caste and minorities got mislead.