BJP's 'Dhamma Chetna Yatra' a big flop: Mayawati

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Friday accused BJP President Amit Shah of showing "superficial concern" for the Dalits and termed the 'Dhamma Chetna Yatra', taken out by Buddhist monks in favour of the BJP, a "big flop".

Mayawati said people of Uttar Pradesh had seen through the game plan of the BJP President of trying to woo them at times of election by such high-decibel events.

At his rally to mark the conclusion of the 'Dhamma Chetna Yatra' in Kanpur earlier in the day, Shah had made a slew of allegations against the former UP Chief Minister and had accused her of mortgaging the interests of the Dalits for her self promotion.

He had asked the gathering in Kanpur to ensure that the news of the 'Dhamma Chetna Yatra', which covered almost all districts of the state during its 178-day trip, reached Mayawati in New Delhi and made it loud and clear that the Dalit aspirations were much beyond the hold of Mayawati now.

Taking no time in hitting back and true to her combative self, Mayawati issued a message tearing into the BJP's "new-found but fake love for Dalits".

"There were no real people in the Yatra, those present belonged to the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS)," she claimed, alleging that Shah was heard only by a handful of "fake" Dalits.

She went on to say that the BJP was apt at stage-managing such shows, which were neither serious nor of any consequence.

Taking on the Prime Minister for his Dusshehra event in Lucknow, she said that it was amply clear that the BJP was out to do anything and everything to win the UP elections.

"The BJP does not like a self-respecting, independent Dalit leader like me and is only interested in slave (ghulam) Dalit leaders but they will not succeed in their designs," she said.

--IANS

md/lok/bg