Ignoring riot victims Mulayam, Akhilesh revelling: Mayawati

BSP chief Mayawati today attacked the Samajwadi Party government in UP saying when Muzaffarnagar riot victims were suffering and needed help, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav were busy in revelry at Saifai on government money.

She also suggested that it would have been better had the artistes from Mumbai avoided performing at 'Saifai Mahotsav' on "moral grounds".

"Riot victims are facing immense problems in Shamli and Muzaffarnagar, but it is even more sad that instead of providing them help the SP government sends its ministers and legislators abroad for 'sair sapata' and its head, with his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, is busy organising mela in Saifai on government money," Mayawati said at the party's savdhan rally here.

"They are busy in 'mauj masti' calling artistes from Mumbai," she said. "It would have been better had the artistes who performed there, like Salman Khan and others, stayed away on moral grounds keeping the situation in mind," the BSP chief said.

Though the former UP chief minister emphasised that media is "still dominated by people having anti-Dalit mentality", she hailed its (media's) role in highlighting the reality of SP government and also congratulated it for the same.

The BSP chief also said that she desisted from giving interviews to media fearing that her comments would have been distorted.

Mayawati criticised the chief minister for holding a press conference after the Saifai mahotsav and also condemned the blackout of some media channels which had showed "reality of the government".

She criticised all the major parties for "rubbing salt" to the injuries of Muzaffarnagar riot victims.

"On one hand, BJP honoured those involved in the riots, Congress issued unnecessary statement linking the victims with ISI and Samajwadi Party termed those living in the camps as conspirators... This has only rubbed salt to their injuries," she said.