'Chowkidari' drama won't save BJP: Mayawati at UP alliance's 1st rally

Deoband: BSP supremo Mayawati on Sunday slammed both the BJP and the Congress at the first joint rally with SP and RLD here, less than a week before voting for the first phase of voting.

"BJP will lose this election because of policies inspired by hatred… especially their "chowkidar" campaign... no matter how much the chhote, bade chowkidars try, the BJP will not win," she said.

Addressing the rally in the presence of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and RLD chief Ajit Singh, she said, "The Congress has failed despite ruling for so many years."

The BSP chief said, "Our government, instead of giving minimum income support, will give employment to poor people. Indira Gandhi too made a 20-point programme to remove poverty, but was it effective?"

She said, "We are silent workers, unlike other parties. Our party performs without making noise, we are silent workers. The Congress too has been making tall claims, haven't they been given enough chances for decades? They were wiped out from several states. The Nyay scheme is not a stable solution for removing poverty."

At the same time, she said the BJP government has been misusing probe agencies. "Even the people from backward communities are suffering... The divisive thought process of these parties are hurting these communities... At the Centre or state level... reservation issue for these communities was ignored. These communities are not benefiting from the reservation. They are being exploited. Minorities are also suffering."

Mayawati said corruption has increased at every level. "The Congress was tainted by Bofors. BJP government is tainted by Rafale... The BJP government has been misusing probe agencies - CBI, ED - against its rivals. You don't need to give another chance to them. The parties that have already been given enough chances in the election season, political parties use opinion polls to misguide voters. Do not get swayed," she appealed to the voters.

She assured the electorate that if voted to power, farmers will no longer be in debt. "Sugarcane farmers are suffering in UP... their grievances are being ignored amid empty announcements. When our party was in power, we made sure dues of sugarcane farmers were paid," the former chief minister said.

Mayawati said the BJP's poll promises have still not been fulfilled. "The ground realities can't be ignored. BJP will keep endorsing its hawa-hawai (lofty) schemes till the poll results are announced. Thousands of crores have been wasted... That's taxpayers money... could be used for the poor...If PM was serious about the welfare of poor, they would not have been inaugurating schemes after poll dates were announced... they would have performed in five years of tenure. In the last budget... whatever announcements were made by the centre are nothing but empty poll promises," she said.

"Now that BJP is panicking, you should know BJP on its way out... and grand alliance will arrive. After Independence, for a long time, Congress and BJP were in power... even in the Congress-ruled states, wrongful practices came to notice... so they eventually lost voter base... BJP misusing Pulwama issue, GST & note ban caused huge job loss; don't allow these people to come back,” Mayawati tells Deoband rally.

The drama of 'chowkidari' will not save BJP, added Mayawati attacking Congress, said its rule full of wrong policies. We will win if there is no rigging said Mayawati at SP-BSP-RLD rally.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, BSP's Mayawati and RLD's Ajit Singh addressed their first joint rally in Deoband ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Sunday said a section of people wanted to "finish him off politically" by defeating his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy in the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency.

Reflecting the widening cracks in the ruling coalition, Kumaraswamy said he was relying "only on the JD(S) MLAs, MLCs and the sitting member of parliament L R Shivarame Gowda (in Mandya)."

Speaking to reporters in Udupi, the Chief Minister said he did not depend on the alliance partner, Congress in Mandya.

"Some Congress leaders are working and some are not working (in Mandya), but I am not upset with that. There is a section out to finish me off by defeating Nikhil Kumaraswamy. However, they don't have the support of the local people there," Kumaraswamy alleged.

He was responding to a query about the squabbling among coalition partners -- JD(S) and Congress.

"I have eight MLAs (in Mandya Lok Sabha constituency), three MLCs and the sitting Lok Sabha member (L R Shivarame Gowda) are there.. They will work.. I won't blame anybody."

Noting that the situation was 'adverse' for JDS in Mandya while there was reported discord among coalition partners in Tumakuru and Hassan also, he, however, said, "We will not let down the candidates of our alliance partner."

Three days ago, the JD(S) workers had openly rebelled against the Congress candidate for Mysore constituency, C H Vijayashankar and shouted pro-BJP slogans in the presence of Higher Education Minister and JD(S) MLA G T Deve Gowda.

The outburst was against the 'hostility' of Congress in Mandya and Hassan, the two constituencies where former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's grandsons Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Prajwal Revanna are contesting the Lok Sabha election.

Reacting to film actress Sumalatha Ambareesh's accusation that the JD(S) was playing 'mischief' in Mandya, the chief minister retorted it was she who has been running a negative campaign.

He also refuted her charge that the JD(S) fielded her three namesakes.

"How can I stop anyone from contesting the election? Kumaraswamy contended.

Sumalatha, the widow of popular Kannada actor and former MP from Mandya Ambareesh, is giving a tough time to Nikhil with the support of BJP and some disgruntled Congress and JD(S) leaders.