With the whisper of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections hanging in the air, the race to capture the Dalit vote is heating up. On Saturday, BSP Chief Mayawati and BJP President Amit Shah found themselves at loggerheads in this strategic battle for votes.
Mayawati took aim at the BJP, challenging the party's notion that creating a few incomplete memorials in Babasaheb's name would win them the Dalit voters. Meanwhile, Amit Shah attended a Dalit Pride Conference at Ram Manohar Lohia University in Lucknow. At this event, he pronounced that the Bahujan Samaj Party did nothing for Dalits except exploit them.
'Congress Obstructed Babasaheb's Path' Amit Shah appreciated the state’s electorate for their overwhelming support in securing 73 Lok Sabha seats. Expressing gratitude to the Dalit community in UP, he assailed Congress, stating that for years one family ruled the nation, and it was under Congress's rule that numerous efforts were made to block Babasaheb from entering Lok Sabha.
BJP's Politics, Asserts Mayawati Conversely, Mayawati accused BJP of staging a show in celebrating Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary. She remarked that the central government has announced plans to establish small museums and memorial sites related to Babasaheb's life, albeit these plans are still pending implementation. According to her, the grandeur of the BSP-built Dr. Memorial in Lucknow alone overshadows all these announcements.
Criticizing Shah's Dining with Dalits Mayawati underscored that the Dr. Memorial site in Lucknow represents the self-respect and pride of India's Dalit community. With historical significance, it has been newly christened as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Social Transformation Site. Emphasizing further, she noted her viewpoint that BJP might erroneously harbor the belief that altering a few places linked to Babasaheb and dining with Dalits, would grant them the entire Dalit vote bank.
Increased Atrocities Under BJP Rule The former Chief Minister of UP claimed that ever since the BJP came to power at the center, atrocities against Dalits have surged. The issue impacts students and intellectuals, who face systematic oppression and harassment, with Rohith Vemula’s tragic case showcasing a forced suicide, leaving his family still fighting for justice.
BSP Insulted Dalits: Amit Shah Upon arriving in Lucknow from Kanpur in the evening, Amit Shah rebuked the BSP for insulting Dalits, leveling a similar accusation against the Samajwadi Party, noting that every time SP came to power, Dalits suffered exploitation. He asserted that their competition with SP will conclude with the populace ousting the SP government in forthcoming polls.
Amit Shah asserted that the Modi government stands as a government for Dalits, the backward classes, and the underprivileged. He cited the Jan Dhan initiative which opened numerous bank accounts for the poor as evidence of government efforts for the betterment of deprived and backward classes. During this time, Shah confidently projected that BJP will triumph across all reserved constituencies in the state.
