Give me UP as Birthday gift: Mayawati

LUCKNOW: Chief minister Mayawati used the Muslim-Kshatriya-Vaishya convention of BSP on Sunday to call upon her partymen to be battle-ready.

At the party rally before the poll dates are announced, she thanked party workers in advance for her birthday next month and said the best gift for her would be a victory in the forthcoming assembly elections. The Election Commission may announce dates of the polls in the next few days.

“You (partymen) will not be able to celebrate my birthday falling on January 15 in a grand way and helping poor as you used to do in past years. So celebrate my birthday privately, for which I thank you in advance. I would request you to gift me UP’s reins once again, with absolute majority,” Mayawati said.

She reiterated her demand for a separate Muslim quota. In July this year, she had written to the PM in this regard and the UPA government promised to bring fixed quota for Muslims within quota for OBCs. Muslims played a crucial role in bringing Maya to power in the 2007 assembly elections.

Maya promised to give proper representation to Muslims in ticket distribution for the assembly polls and in the government, if voted back to power.