BJP, RSS supporters use various measures in the name of Hindutva for votes: Mayawati

Mayawati said BJP and RSS are raising the Ram temple issue with an eye on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Bilaspur: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday accused the BJP and the RSS of being supporters of "capitalist system" and attacked the Modi government over the Rafale fighter jet deal.

Sounding her party's bugle for the next month's assembly polls in Chhattisgarh, she said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are raising the Ram temple issue with an eye on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. She said this while addressing a joint rally here with Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) chief Ajit Jogi.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister has entered into an alliance with Jogi for the assembly polls to be held in two phases - on November 12 and 20.

As per the alliance, the BSP will contest 35 seats, while the Jogi-led JCC will fight the remaining 55 seats in the 90-member assembly. Jogi has been declared the chief ministerial candidate of the coalition.

"The BJP and RSS are supporters of capitalist system and they have been using various 'hathkande' (measures) in the name of Hindutva," the BSP chief said.

"As the elections are approaching, the issue of Ram mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, is gaining momentum. On the same lines, they (the BJP and RSS) have planned to construct small temples in the entire country but they will not get any benefit out of it," the Dalit leader added.

Targeting the Modi government over the Rafale fighter jet deal, Mayawati said, "In the matter of defence deals in the country, the role of both the Congress and the BJP have not been clean.

"Like the Bofors scam during the Congress government, questions are being raised about the BJP government over the alleged scam in the Rafale deal. But so far it (the Centre) has not given any satisfactory answer," she said.

Mayawati accused the BJP-led NDA government of being negligent in containing the incidents of mob lynching in the country. "A dangerous trend of mob lynching has been prevailing in the country in the name of gau raksha (cow protection). Attacks by mob is a blot on democracy. This is a result of bias towards Dalits, adivasis, backward communities, Muslims and Christians. The BJP government has been apathetic and negligent over the mob lynching incidents. After such forces (apparently referring to the BJP and RSS) came to power, these incidents have increased to a dangerous level," she added.

The BSP chief said the Modi government has failed to fulfil promises made ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

"The ruling BJP at the Centre did not fulfil even one fourth of the promises made during the 2014 elections. It had promised to bring back black money stashed in foreign accounts and deposit Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh in accounts of people, but it was not done," she said.

The Modi government has "failed" on other fronts also, the former UP chief minister said.

"They talked about curbing price rise, tackling unemployment and ensuring welfare of the poor, but did nothing. They have ditched the poor, youth and farmers of the country," Mayawati alleged.

She slammed the Modi government over its economic policies, demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST), and said people are bearing the burnt of rising inflation.

Mayawati also attacked the Congress, saying the party was spreading lies about the BSP after she refused to enter into a pre-poll alliance with it in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

"Rumours are being spread that under pressure from the BJP, the BSP did not form an alliance with the Congress. All these allegations are baseless and BSP workers should not take them seriously," she asserted.

Mayawati appealed to people to bring in change in Chhattisgarh, alleging the BJP had done nothing for tribals, Dalits, backward communities and the poor during its 15 years rule in the state.

The alliance (between the BSP and the JCC) is very important for the people of Chhattisgarh because the BJP government has been "anti- dalit, ant-poor, anti-tribal and anti-poor", she said.

Both the Congress and the BJP are responsible for the "pathetic" condition of Chhattisgarh, Mayawati claimed.

The development of Dalits, tribals, farmers, backward communities and traders is possible only when the BSP-JCC alliance is voted to power, she said.