Mayawati asks parties to back ONOE bills; slams SP, Cong on reservation

BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday attacked the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, saying they should not speak on reservations as they colluded in opposing legislation giving quota in promotions to Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) when the Congress-led UPA was in power.

Addressing a press conference, she also backed the Centre's bills on 'one nation- one election', stressing it will reduce expenses and ensure public welfare works continue uninterrupted. She urged other parties to also support the measure.

Mayawati demanded that reservations for SC, ST and OBC be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution to prevent any tampering. Central and state laws listed in the Ninth Schedule are exempt from judicial review.

During the discussion on the Constitution in Lok Sabha, the ruling side and the opposition, especially the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, to woo Dalit and OBC voters, have said a lot of "baseless" things about reservation issue in which there is "not even an iota of truth", she told reporters.

"And it would have been better if these two parties (Congress, SP) had remained silent on this issue in Parliament, because during the time of the Congress party's government at the Centre and with the connivance of this party, SP had strongly opposed the Constitutional Amendment Bill related to reservations in promotion of SC and ST communities.

"This bill was torn and thrown away by SP in the Parliament itself and ... is still pending in the Parliament," she lamented.

The BSP chief also targeted the ruling BJP and said, "The anti-reservation mentality of the BJP is also clearly visible, due to which they are in no mood to get the bill passed.'  Mayawati said that there was a heated discussion in the Parliament on the 'glorious journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India'.

"But its usefulness is possible only when it is accepted with an open mind whether the ruling class has been able to provide employment and justice, a life of self-respect and self-esteem to crores of people of the country as per the sacred intention of the humanitarian and welfare Constitution," she said.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said that the Constitution has not failed but the people and parties ruling the country have failed the Constitution of the country with their "narrow thinking and casteist politics".

Mayawati also said that the "resolutions" being taken by the current BJP government are not going to benefit the people of the country.

She said if the government makes amendments to the Constitution to benefit a party or any particular person or institution, "then our party will strongly oppose it".

Mayawati said being the party of the poor and the oppressed, the BSP welcomes the related bills brought by the BJP government regarding 'one nation, one election'.

It would be better for all the parties to rise above party politics and work in the interest of the country and the general public on this issue, she said.

The BSP has faced a steady electoral decline in recent years and has only one Rajya Sabha MP in Parliament.