BJP behind Shiv Sena's demand to revoke Muslims' voting rights: BSP

BSP supremo Mayawati on Tuesday alleged that Shiv Sena's demand to revoke voting rights of Muslims was on the instance of BJP.

Lucknow: BSP supremo Mayawati on Tuesday alleged that Shiv Sena's demand to revoke voting rights of Muslims was on the instance of BJP.

"Shiv Sena's statement that voting powers of Muslims should be revoked to stop vote bank politics is unconstitutional. It said it on the instance of BJP," Mayawati said at the occasion of anniversary celebrations of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar here.

She also said if BJP was not behind the statement made by Shiv Sena, it (Sena) should be shown an "outside door" to the from the NDA government at the Centre.

Shiv Sena courted controversy by demanding scrapping of voting rights of Muslims, saying the community has often been used for vote bank politics, evoking sharp reactions from several political parties which accused it of trying to inflame passions and divide people.

Mayawati also attacked opposition parties, including Congress and BJP and termed them "anti-Dalit". "The love of Congress, BJP, and SP for Baba Saheb is politically motivated," she alleged.

The BSP supremo said that Congress got Dr Ambedkar defeated in first Lok Sabha elections in 1952 using money power and that if there would have been "little respect", Congress should have ensured he got elected unopposed.

Mayawati also said that Congress which ruled the country for maximum time after independence, did not confer Bharat Ratna to Dr Ambedkar and he was given the honour in 1989 by the then VP Singh government.

She claimed that it was due to BSP's conditional support that the VP Singh government implemented Mandal commission report.

Mayawati, who has been demanding for the highest civilian honour for Kanshiram, cautioned the Dalits that the Central government may confer Bharat Ratna to BSP founder and also declare Baba Saheb's bungalow at Delhi as a memorial before Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections, in a bid to lure the community.

Terming first 10 months of Modi government as "disappointing", she claimed that BJP's base was eroding and added that the Samajwadi Party which had completed three years in power in the state was also wary of its position.

"Sensing their poor situation, SP and BJP may trigger communal riots," she alleged while appealing Muslims to keep away BJP from power and support BSP unitedly. Accusing Modi government of depriving Dalits and backwards from reservation, she alleged, "Big tenders of government departments are being given to capitalists so that Dalits, ST and OBCs do not get benefit of reservation".

On attack on her family on charges of scams and corruption, she said, "None of my family members is in politics, but everyone has the right to employment and business. What's wrong if my family members do so."  

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