Only BSP can stop BJP from coming to power in UP, says Mayawati

LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party, even if fighting unitedly and in an alliance with the Congress will not be able to stop the BJP from coming to power in UP and voters should only bank on the BSP for doing the same, Mayawati said on Sunday on her 61st birthday.

In a frugal birthday celebrations with no cake-cutting ceremony compared to the yesteryears when grand celebrations marked the day, Mayawati termed her 61st birthday as ‘Jan Kalyankari Diwas’ and gave a 70-minute long speech on the election prospects in UP. BSP has released a minute-long song on Saturday saying ‘UP ka ek mission, Singhasan pe Maya Behen’ and promised a seven -point transformation including on the front of law and order, women safety, social justice, public benefit schemes, electricity, development and jobs once ‘Behenji ko aane do’. In the backdrop of the feud in SP, Mayawati pitched that her party alone can prevent BJP from coming to power.

“It is very important to stop BJP from coming to power in UP. The feud in SP family has led to its traditional vote-bank being split in Akhilesh and Shivpal camps. In such a scenario, even if both SP camps fight together or separately, or ally with Congress and RLD - in all such situations, they will not be capable to stop BJP as either faction of SP will fight polls not to win but make the other faction lose. This will bring advantage to the BJP,” Mayawati said.

She said only BSP was capable of stopping the BJP as its core votebank was intact and there were no two camps in BSP. “If BJP is stopped in UP, it will be a zabardast jhatka to them and the central government and they will not be able to retain power in 2019. Till the next Lok Sabha polls, they will then also not gather courage to take another painful decision like demonetisation which has troubled 90% of poor and middleclass people in the country,”

Mayawati said. She said BJP must remember “kaath ki haandi dubara nahi chadhti” to stress its “jumlas” won’t work again.

She also defended money deposited by her party in bank accounts amidst demonetisation as to be done as per rules and said BJP had unleashed a malicious campaign against her and her family members ahead of elections after fearing BSP to be its main rival in UP. Mayawati also termed Akhilesh Yadav as a “daagi chehra” responsible for Muzzafarnagar riots and said people will opt for a “bedagi chehra” in herself. Repeatedly using the phrase “BJP and its company”, she said people were fearful whenever PM is about to speak thinking “ab kya nayi musibat aane wali hai.”