New Delhi: Asserting that caste-based
politics is ruining the country, BJP president Nitin Gadkari
on Saturday promised to free Uttar Pradesh from "goonda raj" and
"caste politics" if his party is voted to power in the state.
"The politicians playing caste politics are ruining the
country. They are making the poor turn poorer and taking the
unemployed on a different path," Gadkari said at a gathering
at the 2nd Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Quiz Competition at
BJP's Delhi unit office here.
Gadkari said, "caste-based politics is the worst thing",
while promising to show the nation and Uttar Pradesh a new
future.
"We can change the future of the nation...the future of
Uttar Pradesh. We will free the state of goonda raj and caste
politics. We have prepared a plan for Uttar Pradesh. We will
provide 50 lakh new employment opportunities for the youth in
the state. I don't talk about jobs, but talk about
employment," he said.
Gadkari said the main reason for the poverty and
unemployment in the country was the wrong economic policies
and corruption.
The BJP President also charged Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Mayawati of playing caste-based politics, and said
she had spent Rs 10,000 crore on making her own statues even
as her people did not have money to buy food.
‘UP split Maya's stunt to hide misgovernance’
BJP president Nitin Gadkari today
accused Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati of playing a
"political stunt" by proposing splitting UP into four states,
saying the move was "to hide her misgovernance".
Gadkari also said the BSP supremo's move was aimed at
luring voters by befooling people ahead of the assembly polls.
"When she came to know that her government is not coming
back to power, she (Mayawati) played this political stunt of
dividing Uttar Pradesh in four different states," said Gadkari
at a function here today.
"It should not be done to seek votes ahead of the polls.
She is doing so to cover up her misrule of four and a half
years. She is doing so to cover up her misgovernance. It is a
political stunt and people understand all this," he lamented.
He said by trying to seek votes before the implementation
of code of conduct Mayawati is trying to befool people ahead
of the assembly polls.
He added that as per the Constitution, the power to
create new states lies with Parliament. "She has done it with
political motives and by befooling people," he said.
Making the party's position on favouring smaller states
for good governance clear once again, the BJP president said,
"We are in favour of small states, but there should be a
proper social and economic assessment. The viability of such
small states should be done first... Then it needs to be
debated upon in Parliament and then passed. This is how it
needs to be done."
Criticising Mayawati for spending money on her own
statues even while the people of the state were not having
money for filling their stomachs and farmers any water for
their fields, Gadkari said, "for doing development, you don't
need to have money. You need to have a sense of patriotism,
the will to do something good for the nation, for the
society."
PTI
First Published: Saturday, November 19, 2011, 20:02