LIVE: BSP will go it alone in LS polls, hints Mayawati at 'Savdhan Vishal Maha Rally' in Lucknow

Lucknow: BSP supremo Mayawati today hinted that she will go it aone in upcoming LOk Sabha elections.She was addressing a 'Savdhan Vishal Maha Rally' in Lucknow on the occasion of her 58th birthday.Mayawati said that the Congress, BJP and Samajwadi Party (SP) were all working in cahoots to prevent her, a Dalit woman, from rising in politics.she exhorted party workers and supporters to fan out into every nook and cranny in the country to inform people of the inclusive policies of the BSP.She asked them to ensure that the "vote transfer" strategy of political rivals against the Bahujan Samaj Party is countered."We cannot just keep complaining about the others, we must also devise strategies to defeat this nefarious design of our opponents," she told the crowd, which roared in approval.Mayawati asked her supporters to ensure that people of all sections, "sarva samaj" (all of society), are brought under the BSP's umbrella, which will unite people from all classes and castes, including the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the other backward classes.Pointing out that while her party only won 20 Lok Sabha seats in 2009, its candidates stood second in 47 seats, the Dalit leader said the time has come to focus on these seats also, so that the party bags the maximum number of seats in the state.Uttar Pradesh has 80 Lok Sabha constituencies, and all parties are eyeing the state to gain power at the centre in the crucial Lok Sabha polls scheduled for April-May this year.Alleging that the central parties have unleashed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against her, Mayawati said she was a victim of a political witch hunt that cornered her between 2003-2006."I was pushed into trouble between those years, but I never lost hope and am thankful to all those who stood by me then," she said, while trying to strike an emotional chord with the people who braved intense cold to attend the rally.Urging party workers and supporters to ensure that the BSP returns to power with absolute majority in Uttar Pradesh in the state assembly polls of 2017, Mayawati asked them to ensure that the state sends the maximum number of BSP members to the Lok Sabha.She took a dig at other parties, saying that her rally was not of people "sitting on chairs, but of people who sit on durries (mats)".She targetted arch rival Samajwadi Party and accused it of running a mafia government in Uttar Pradesh. The state has turned into a "crime pradesh", she said, demanding the imposition of president's rule.Despite extending support to the United Progressive Alliance government at the centre during its second term in office, Mayawati lashed out at the Congress-led government, and blamed it for inflation, economic slowdown, price rise, rising unemployment, growing disparity in society, policy paralysis, threat to internal security and a weak foreign policy.Mayawati had decided not to celebrate her birthday like previous years because of Muzaffarpur riots. Instead she has decided to address the 'Savdhan Vishal Maha Rally' at the Ramabai Ambedkar maidan in Lucknow.Six elephant statues were erected right in front of the stage. For making these statues , sculptors were especially called from Kolkata. Out of these six elephants, four elephants have their trunk lying towards the ground (BSP election symbol) and the rest two elephants have their trunks facing the sky, a symbol of victory.Mayawati also released the ninth volume of her autobiography "Bhajun movement- mere sangharsh ki atmakatha" in this rally.Here we are giving you minute-by-minute updates of this rally: 1:44pm- Mayawati: Congress is also doing drama by saying that they will prepare the manifesto in consultation with people.They have failed to fulfil the promises they made in their previous manifestro.1:41pm- Mayawati: Akhilesh govt is not paying money to those who constructed the BSP monuments. They are investigating the monuments made by BSP govt. 1:43pm- Mayawati: maximum number of terrorist attacks took place under BJP rule. It was under their rule that Babri Masjid was brought down. Narendra Modi says that if he forms govt at centre then Gujarat model will be adopted but according to CAG report, there is no development in Gujarat. 1:39pm- Mayawati: Modi is making false promises. Under Modi's regime, communal riots took place in Gujarat. The conditions are bad for children and Adivasis in Gujarat. Modi talks about fighting corruption but his own state had no Lokayukya for years. Modi is trying to encash Sardar Patel's name. How can a CM, who could not control Hindu-Muslim riots in his smaller state, will succeed in keeping the entire country united?1:36pm- Mayawati: Today Narendra Modi and BJP are making big promises but why didn't do anything in their 6 years of rule? They did not fulfill their promises in even UP. 1:31pm- Mayawati: We had reduced electricity bills long before the AAP did it in Delhi1:15pm- Mayawati: AAP's 'Janata Durbar' was a drama. Dalit section is facing tough times under Kejriwal's govt in Delhi.1:10pm- Mayawati: BSP is in favour of smaller states. We also support the formation of 'Telangana'.1:09pm- Mayawati: BSP has always stood with Muslims. We have helped people in Muzaffarnagar.1:07pm- Mayawati: Not even one communal riot took place under my regime. We maintained peace even when Ayodhya verdict was delivered. 12:57pm- Mayawati: SP has made Muslim DGP and Chief but today neither Muslims nor Hindus feel are feeling safe in UP.12:56pm- Mayawati: President rule should be imposed in UP. ‘Gunda Mafia' of Samajwadi Party is dominant over the DGP and Chief Secy of the state. 12:53pm- Mayawati: Uttar Pradesh has now become a “Crime Pradesh”.12:53pm- Mayawati: Our opponents have got united in this country and we had to face the consequences in recently concluded assembly elections. But they will not succeed in upcoming Lok Sabha elections. These parties can't see a Dalit woman marching forward. Therefore, these parties are conspiring to defeat me.12:49pm- Mayawati: Other parties notices us only after we formed govt with them. We faced difficult times till 2006.And other parties thought that we were finished.12:47pm- Mayawati: All opponents of BSP got united in 2012 assembly elections for weakening our party. Now we have to face this challenge. We have to unite the 'Dalits' and 'Backwards' across the country. We should be ready for direct fight.12:47pm- Mayawati: All opponents got united in 2009 because I was a Dalit's daughter. The same thing happened in 2012.12:25pm- Mayawati: Nobody took us seriously when our party was formed. The BJP and Congress noticed us when we got victories in elections.12:20pm- Mayawati: I had launched many schemes on Birhdays but the present SP government has closed them all because of jealousy.12:15pm- Mayawati: We have not provided chairs to everyone here because for that we would have no other option than to bring those many chairs from other states.That's why you have to sit on ground only.12:10pm- Mayawati releases the ninth volume of her autobiography "Bhajun movement- mere sangharsh ki atmakatha".12:03pm- Mayawati reached rally ground