Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reference to BR Ambedkar in his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati said his beliefs are in stark contrast to that of Baba Saheb Ambedkar.
In 4.5 years of governance, the BJP has only done drama, especially towards Dalits. Modi Ji spoke of BR Ambedkar in Mann Ki Baat but his mindset is stark opposite of what Baba Saheb stood for. That is the reason the BJP-RSS was kept out of power in the past decades.Mayawati, BSP Chief
A day earlier, on 25 March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to the “new India” he envisions for the poor and backward as “BR Ambedkar's India” in his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat.
Ahead of her meeting with BSP coordinators at the party headquarters in Lucknow, Mayawati accused the BJP government of being oppressive to the lower caste. Noting the loss of BSP candidate Bhim Rao Ambedkar in the recent Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, she said, “They chant Ambedkar’s name but oppress those belonging to the category. It’s evident from the fact when Bhim Rao Ambedkar was made to lose when the BJP introduced an extra seat. The BSP-SP didn’t come together to fulfill selfish needs but to stand against the BJP’s misrule.”
A day after the BJP succeeded in sweeping nine out of 10 Rajya Sabha seats from the state, Mayawati reiterated that her party’s bond with Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party is here to stay.
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