In her first-ever pitch for the country’s top post, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati has said she is a “fit” candidate when it comes to matters related to the welfare of people and the country, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “unfit” for the job.
“As far as development goes, Bahujan Samaj Party has managed to change the face of UP. Lucknow was beautified to a great extent. On the basis of all this work, it can be assumed that for the welfare of people and the country, BSP national president is fit and in comparison with her, Narendra Modi is unfit,” Mayawati said in a statement.
Reiterating her achievements, the BSP chief said her legacy as a four-time chief minister was clean, pro-people and aimed at better law and order. She added that though PM Modi had been the chief minister of Gujarat for a longer duration than her stint as UP chief minister, his legacy was one of communal strife, “which is a black mark on the country’s history”.
“He has, therefore, failed in holding a government post. As Gujarat CM, he has failed to implement rajdharma and has been unfit as a CM and PM,” she said.
She also hit back at the Prime Minister for calling her “daulat ki beti” and accusing her of amassing wealth, saying such statements only reflected the anti-Dalit attitude of such leaders as they didn’t want people from oppressed castes to progress. “The entire country knows that most of the corrupt people who have benami properties are associated with BJP,” she said.
While this is the first time that Mayawati has pitched herself for the top post, several opposition leaders such as Sharad Pawar and her ally Akhilesh Yadav have earlier thrown their weight behind her.
While Pawar said the BSP chief was better suited for the role since she had held the reins of West Bengal for long, Yadav said: “Our ambitions don’t clash. I am happy to do my best to see her as the Prime Minister and she is happy to do her best to see me as Uttar Pradesh chief minister.”
Comments
0 comment