Maya slams BJP, Cong; assures job quota to upper caste

Thiruvananthapuram: BSP supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Saturday launched her party's national campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, attacking the Congress and the BJP and wooing the forward class with her social engineering formula.

Choosing this southern city as part of her party's strategy to spread its wings across the country, she promised job reservation for economically poor among the upper caste if her party was voted to power at the centre, in a bid to replicate her success in Uttar Pradesh at the national level.

Addressing a well-attended party rally at the Central stadium here, Mayawati, a prime ministerial aspirant, blamed the Congress and the BJP rule at the Centre for the plight of poor and the depressed, but spared Left parties, apparently keeping the post-poll options open.

Successive governments at the centre and states had diluted the reservation policy denying the rightful share in jobs to the depressed sections, she said.

Accusing governments led by Congress and BJP of failure to tackle basic issues like price rise, she charged they had the financial backing of big corporates and land lords.

She said since her party is fighting elections with funds raised from the ordinary sections and hence such a government would be committed to pro-people policies.

Outlining the BSP's quota policy, Mayawati said the poor among the upper caste should be extended the benefit of reservation, which required amendments to Central laws.

BSP also wanted to extend SC/ST status to Dalit Christians in the country, she said adding no other political party favoured this.

"BSP is a party that will do what it says. This is clear from the measures taken by my government in Uttar Pradesh", she said.

The party is contesting alone in all the states including those contested by the third front allies.

Mayawati, who set out on her 52-day national campaign, said if voted to power, BSP would take strong measures to curb terrorism.

Referring to naxalism, she said denial of social and economic justice to the downtrodden was the reason for the marginalised sections being misled to the extremist path.

BSP General Secretary Sateesh Chandra Mishra said it was incorrect to term BSP as a caste-based party. BSP stood for creation of "a classless and caste-less society" since its policies were meant to uplift the poor irrespective of caste and religion, he added.

The names of BSP's candidates for all the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, including that of state president A Neelohithadasan Nadar, who is contesting from the capital, was announced at the rally.