Will focus only on UP's development, not building parks & smaraks: Mayawati

Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati on Tuesday asserted that she will focus on the development of Uttar Pradesh and that not on 'building parks and smaraks (memorials)' if her party forms the next government in Uttar Pradesh. In an apparent bid to woo the Brahmins ahead of next year's assembly elections, Mayawati said that her government will ensure security for the community.

"We have always respected all castes. This party does not belong to anyone caste but to all. As Chief Minister in all my terms, I have ensured that everyone got due respect. The interests of Brahmins and other communities are secure in the BSP," Mayawati said while addressing a gathering in Lucknow to mark the culmination of the party's 'Prabuddha Varg Sammelans' in the state.

"I assure the Brahmin community that if we come to power in the next elections, we will ensure their security. We should join more people from the Brahmin community with us for the upcoming elections to form the government with a majority, similar to 2007," the former UP CM went on to add.

Mayawati further said that she had never made false promises to people like the BJP does, but has worked for the development and welfare of all. "Now, I will focus only on the development of Uttar Pradesh & not on building parks & 'smaraks' in the state," the BSP chief said.

"I want to ask him if Hindus and Muslims in India have the same ancestors then why RSS and their BJP behave like Muslims are adopted," she said.

She also requested everyone to come to Lucknow to pay tribute to Kanshi Ram Ji at Kanshiram Smarak Sthal on October 9, on his death anniversary.

This was Mayawati's first public appearance in the pandemic. Mayawati clarified that she did not hold meetings during the pandemic because that would have given the state government a chance to target her party members.

"Even for the Prabuddha Sammelans, the state government had set a limit for participants. They would have put my party workers in jail if the numbers exceeded the limit and that would have impacted the party campaign for elections," she explained.

She said that after the BSP started Prabuddha Varg Sammelan, other parties followed suit. "But the 'Prabuddha Varg' is intelligent enough to know where their interests are safe," she said.

Mayawati also asked her party leaders to enrol a minimum of 1,000 Brahmins in each Assembly constituency in the state. Uttar Pradesh is slated to go to polls early next year.