Asserting that caste-based politics is ruining the country,BJP president Nitin Gadkari today promised to free Uttar Pradesh from "goonda raj" and "caste politics" if his party is voted to power in the state. "The politicians playing caste politics are ruining the country. They are making the poor turn poorer and taking the unemployed on a different path," Gadkari said at a gathering at the 2nd Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Quiz Competition at BJP's Delhi unit office here. Gadkari said,"Caste-based politics is the worst thing",while promising to show the nation and Uttar Pradesh a new future. "We can change the future of the nation.the future of Uttar Pradesh. We will free the state of goonda raj and caste politics. We have prepared a plan for Uttar Pradesh. We will provide 50 lakh new employment opportunities for the youth in the state. I don't talk about jobs,but talk about employment," he said. Gadkari said the main reason for the poverty and unemployment in the country was the wrong economic policies and corruption. The BJP President also charged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati of playing caste-based politics,and said she had spent Rs 10,000 crore on making her own statues even as her people did not have money to buy food. "Mayawati has not done anything for the Dalit community,on which her politics is based. She has spent Rs 10,000 crore in making her own statues alone. People don't have money to eat. farmers don't have water for their fields," Gadkari said. "I have studied various political leaders practising caste-based politics and seen that no politician has ever done any good for his/her own caste.," he said. The BJP president said Uttar Pradesh could progress well if it is shown the right path. "In Uttar Pradesh,we have to create an atmosphere and help remove corruption and caste politics,which is the worst thing. We can create new employment opportunities. There is a lot of employment potential in tourism in Uttar Pradesh," he said. Gadhari cited the example of his own hometown Nagpur,where he claimed to have provided employment to 10,000 people. "Next year,I plan to provide employment opportunities to 40,000 more people," he said. He admitted to certain "misgivings" being spread against the RSS and BJP,for which he blamed a section of the English media. He said the party would try to remove these misgivings by reaching out to the public at large.
