The decades biggest Congress show in Uttar Pradesh 10 rath yatras over 403 constituencies for 103 days was flagged off on Wednesday with party general secretary Rahul Gandhis promise of politcs of youth,employment and development. In his 25-minute speech,Gandhi steered clear of any reference to Chief Minister Mayawati or her memorials. Instead,the focus was on her governments failure to deliver development and welfare despite Central assistance. There is no crisis of funds, he pointed out. We have given tools like MNREGA,RTI,RTE to state governments. But UP does not use the money properly. Because of this attitude,while other more backward states have come forward,UP is at the same place. Laying the blame for migration squarely at the state governments door,he said: When we ask the BSP government to implement a scheme which will benefit the Dalits and poor,they tell us it is hardly benefiting anyone. When we ask them to ensure proper education of children,they tell us that the state does not need such education. But if they do not need these things,then why are people from UP still moving to places like Mumbai in search of work? The Centre,he said,had given a special Bundelkhand package,but there was no implementation at the ground level. Money meant for development reaches Lucknow,but not Ambedkarnagar, he said. Barely 200 yards away,the BSP organised its protest against the Womens Reservation Bill,in the process scuttling the Congress plan to garland the statue of Ambedkar. The statue was hemmed in by BSP pandals and the district magistrate said he had told the Congress to garland it after the BSP programme. While it gave rise to a volley of protests in the Congress camp,in Lucknow,Mayawati declared that over the years,the Congress,the BJP and the other parties had ignored Ambedkar because of their casteist mentality. In particular,the role of Congress was despicable. 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, she said. Addressing BSP workers after offering flowers at Ambedkars statue at the Bhim Rao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal,she said Ambedkar was conferred Bharat Ratna in 1990 when a non-Congress government was in power at the Centre. She said her government would not bow down under pressure from the Opposition parties and continue to honour such great men. Regarding the Womens Reservation Bill which was the focus of the BSPs parallel rally in Ambedkarnagar Mayawati said it was against the thoughts of Ambedkar. Also,the Bill was unfair to women from Dalit,backward,minority communities and the poor from the upper castes as it had no reservation for them. The Lucknow unit of the party held a demonstration against the Bill on the Gomti embankment. 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 the Parliament,but the Congress betrayed him and Ambedkar had to resign from the post of the Union Law Minister. They also alleged that the Congress also made unsuccessful attempts to prevent Ambedkar from being elected to the Constituent Assembly and later tried to stop his entry into Parliament. In Ambedkarnagar,her ministers Lalji Verma and Ram Achal Rajbhar blamed the Congress for the bad condition of Dalits and poor across the country. They said the only way to ensure justice for these sections was to make Mayawati the prime minister.
