BJP raking up Ram Temple issue for UP polls: Mayawati

LUCKNOW: Accusing BJP of raking up Ram Temple issue with an eye on 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, BSP supremo Mayawati today launched a broadside against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said like in Delhi and Bihar, voters in the state will also not fall for his "theatrics".

The former UP Chief Minister, who celebrated her 60th birthday today, alleged that the "Centre has given full freedom to communal forces, leading to chaos in the country".

"As UP assembly polls are drawing near, BJP, RSS and other organisations are whipping up Ram Temple issue, which is pending before the Supreme Court.

"Playing with religious sentiments for votes will not work. Voters should be careful," Mayawati told reporters.

"As UP elections are near, Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has ignored the state except his constituency Varanasi has now woken up for its development," she said.

"He (Modi) has started 'natak' (theatrics) like Delhi and Bihar but people here will not fall in his trap and in UP elections too BJP will have to face defeat," she said.

Alleging that the Centre was trying to woo Dalit voters in the name of B R Ambedkar, Mayawati said if it was serious, it should "have decided to work in favour of Dalits and backward followers of Babasaheb on his 125 birth anniversary.

"The Centre should have passed Bill for reservation in promotions. It should have provided reservation to poor, who migrated to other castes and also upper caste poor by amendment in the Constitution. But it did nothing in this regard," she said.

On PM's "acche din" slogan during Lok Sabha election, Mayawati claimed, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise has remained a pipedream, rather bad days have dawned".

"Capitalists are getting benefit in this regime. The prices of crude oil have come down to 33 dollars per barrel but the benefit was not been passed on to the common man," she said.

Raising question on country's Pakistan policy, Mayawati said, "BJP's policies on Pakistan are not steady."

Cautioning against propaganda by rival parties, Mayawati said she was termed as "daulat ki beti" instead of "dalit ki beti" by her detractors but it did not work.

On the occasion, Mayawati released the 11th volume of her book "A travelogue of my struggle ridden life and BSP movement" in both Hindi and English.