Sonia, Mayawati begin campaign in UP

Sonia, Mayawati begin campaign in UP

Kicking off her election campaign in Uttar Pradesh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday attacked at non-Congress governments over the past 22 years in the state and said that they have all ruined the state. 

"These parties have done nothing for the state during their governments, they have, however, filled their own pockets", she said adding that though there had been a lot of change and development in the country and the world, UP has been ruined by these non-Congress governments.

Recalling the various coalition governments in the state, she said that though all these parties have joined hands for opportunism and are the same, she can bet that hers is the only political party which has never compromised with those dividing society. The Congress President said that the security and honour of the common man is at stake in UP... there are problems all around.

Sonia Gandhi attacked Chief Minister Mayawati for dismissing her ministers on election eve and asked whether this has cleansed her government.

"The present chief minister dismissed 21 of her ministers on election eve. She was not able to see their corruption in the past five years. I want to ask whether taking resignations made her government clean," Gandhi said.

"Is this not cheating the people...not an attempt to cheat the people," she asked.

Gandhi said that there is uncertainty in the state that an order might come by which the land of farmers might be acquired for the wealthy.

"It is only the Congress party for which the entire society and all sections are equal", she said adding that her party has done what it had promised and also followed its election manifesto.

Citing various schemes of the central government, she said that UPA government provided Rs one lakh crore to UP for implementing these schemes.

The Congress president promised that on coming to power in Uttar Pradesh her party would form the government which is of the common people, that of farmers, women, minorities and youth and is a transparent one. She exuded confidence that the electorate would pay attention on these issues and vote for her party in the coming elections.

Mayawati anti-dalit: Mulayam

SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav alleged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is not a well wisher of dalits as after coming to power in 2007 she abolished SC status of 17 backward communities.

"Immediately after coming to power in 2007, Mayawati withdrew status of SC from 17 backward communities and added them in the list of OBCs," he told an election rally at Manjhanpur.

She has done so as she is not a well wisher of dalits, he said. Mulayam said by closing several welfare schemes like 'kanya vidyadhan' launched during SP regime, Mayawati has exposed her "anti-people" face.

He further said by installing statues of herself and that of her party symbol (elephants), Mayawati has drained the state exchequer.

Targeting Congress, Mulayam alleged due to its wrong policies, unemployment has increased. He alleged to benefit industrialists and by setting up big industries, Congress has led to closure of cottage industries.

Cong manifesto a bundle of hollow promises: Mayawati

Slamming the Congress manifesto as a "bundle of hollow promises", BSP chief Mayawati on Wednesday accused the party of using the dalits as a votebank and trying to divide the community under a "planned conspiracy" by promising them sub-quota.

"The Congress manifesto is nothing but a bundle of hollow promises which cannot be fulfilled ... Congress has been making such promises since the past 60 years and this has led to the bad state of affairs of the state and country," the UP chief minister said in a statement.

She said the UPA government given permission to the schemes of her government, it would have given employment to more than one crore people.

"The manifesto is an attempt to mislead the people by making tall promises," she said adding that Congress has only played with the sentiments of the people by following "appeasement policy...Congress has never been a well wisher of dalits and have always used them as vote bank".

The Congress manifesto, she said, has no new promise or scheme on which the people of the state should believe besides the schemes announced were already brought into effect by her.

Taking a dig at the promise of pursuing an equitable solution of the Babri Mosque dispute, she said that "first Congress conspired to pull down the mosque and now it was trying to please Muslims".

On the promise of sub-quota to 'ati-dalits', she said that it is a planned conspiracy to divide dalit votes. Congress had yesterday promised reservation for socially and economically backward minorities and very backward dalits in proportion to their population.

Cong, SP playing vote bank politics: BJP

BJP accused the Congress and SP of playing vote bank politics in Uttar Pradesh due to their "desperate" situation in the coming Assembly polls there.

The party also alleged that the Congress manifesto referring to Babri mosque was a contempt of court and it would seek legal advice on the issue.

"What was the need today to introduce religion based politics...Congress is doing all this with the eye on assembly polls," BJP President Nitin Gadkari said.

He claimed that out of political interest Congress was talking about nine per cent reservation and SP about 18 per cent quota purely to derive political advantage. "Congress is in a desperate situation and can do anything to win the polls," Gadkari told a news agency.