LUCKNOW: Exuding confidence that her party was bagging votes of ‘sarv samaj’, including most backwards and upper castes, besides her core Dalit and Muslim vote-bank, BSP supremo Mayawati said her party would form the government with a clear majority, in a re-run of 2007. She was reacting to Union home minister Amit Shah’s remark on BSP’s palpable sway over Muslims and Dalits.
Talking to reporters on Wednesday after exercising her franchise in Lucknow, she said it was Shah’s magnanimity that he has accepted the ground reality. Poll results on March 10 would come as a shocker to both BJP and Samajwadi Party, which are both claiming victory even before the last vote is cast, she added.
“Which community is voting for which party can only be ascertained by feeling the pulse of the ground. Minorities are fed up with Samajwadi Party’s hypocrisy. Muslims are saying they worked for SP for five years and geared up for elections, but the party did not give them adequate tickets. Muslims are fuming, so how will they vote for SP,” she said.
On Akhilesh Yadav’s claim that he is an Ambedkarite, Mayawati asked “Why did his government change names of the various schemes and places named after Dalit icons.” SP’s dream of forming the government would come crashing on March 10, she added.
“You know that each time SP has been in power, Dalits, MBCs, poor and Brahmins have faced torture and humiliation. Whenever their party has been at the helm, the state has been wracked by riots, violence and hooliganism. Muzaffarnagar riots are proof,” she said, adding the SP chief and his followers already appear demoralised as they are aware of their ground situation that they are not returning to power.
