Maya fires back: Cong casteist,ignored Ambedkar

Mayawati made no mention of the Congress yatras or Rahul Gandhi as she addressed her party workers here. Instead,she chose to attack the Congress using the Dalit plank,and called it casteist....

Mayawati made no mention of the Congress yatras or Rahul Gandhi as she addressed her party workers here. Instead,she chose to attack the Congress using the Dalit plank,and called it casteist. She accused the Congress of ignoring B R Ambedkar and other Dalit icons and not giving them due respect.

That is why our government decided to build parks and memorials dedicated to Ambedkar and other great men who were born in Dalits and backward communities, Mayawati said while addressing BSP workers after offering flowers at Ambedkars statue at the Bhim Rao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal.

She said Ambedkar was conferred Bharat Ratna 1990 when a non-Congress government was in power at the Centre and the BSP entered the Lok Sabha for the first time.

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Contrary to expectations,Mayawati chose not to visit Ambedkarnagar,where the BSP had organised a parallel rally to the Congresss yatra programme as part of its statewide protests against the Womens Reservation Bill. Instead,she took off in a helicopter and made an aerial survey of the BSP protests in some districts.

Mayawati also blamed the BJP and other parties that ruled the country for ignoring the Dalit leaders. I want to tell you that the Congress,BJP and other parties have ruled at the Centre in the last 63 years after independence. Out these 63 years,the Congress ruled for about 50 years at the Centre and 38 years in the state. Presently also,there is a Congress government at the Centre, she said. All these parties ignored Ambedkar and the saints who were born in Dalit because of their casteist mentality. In particular,the role of the Congress was despicable.

Regarding the Womens Bill,Mayawati said it was against the thoughts of Ambedkar. The Bill was also unfair to women from Dalit,backward,minorities and the poor among the upper castes because they wont get quota.

Later,the BSP issued a statement,saying Ambedkar wanted women to progress in every field. That is why he tried to get the Hindu Code Bill passed by Parliament,but the Congress betrayed him and Ambedkar had to resign as Union Law Minister.

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