BSP had supported Cong at Centre: BJP on Mayawati's 'two sides of the same coin' remark

Hitting out at BSP chief Mayawati for saying both BJP and Congress are "two sides of the same coin", the saffron party on Wednesday said she had supported the Manmohan Singh government at the Centre.

Mayawati at a press conference on her 64th birthday accused the BJP and the Congress of playing "dirty politics" and alleged that the BJP-led central government follows the pattern of the previous Congress dispensation, which was punished for its wrongdoing.

Terming both parties "two sides of the same coin", the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief said the Congress does not have the moral right to criticise the BJP.

"You (Mayawati) had extended support to the Manmohan Singh government for 10 years. In the state, you had taken the support of the Congress," BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh Minister Shrikant Sharma said.

The basic difference between the BJP and the Congress is that "our government bothers about pro-poor welfare schemes reaching the poor. The government of which you had been a part...instead of reaching the poor, reached the homes of those in power, especially the Congress, through the back door", he said.

Mayawati told reporters that under the current regime, poverty, unemployment, anarchy, violence and tension have exceeded that during the tenure of the Congress at the Centre.

She also alleged that the amendments to the citizenship law were brought without taking others into confidence.

"The allegations levelled by Mayawati on our government are devoid of any fact and are politically-motivated. We dismiss them," Sharma said.

The earlier governments were "anti-poor", he said, adding that "our government works for welfare of the poor".

"Misuse of power has been done by the BSP, and the BSP-supported Congress government, which was at the Centre (earlier).

"Even today you are 'pichhlaggoo' (hangers-on) of the Congress. Whenever the opportunity comes behenji (as Mayawati is popularly known) you stand behind the Congress," Sharma said.