Reacting sharply to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement backing "countless good people" working lawfully for cow protection, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati today said lauding people "indulging in unlawful, violent and casteist" acts cannot be termed as an act of national interest.
"Going against public sentiment and praising gau rakshaks whose several unlawful, violent and casteist acts have come to light cannot be termed as something in national interest," Mayawati said in a statement.
Terming Bhagwat's call for identifying true gau rakhshaks as inspired by narrow communal thinking, Mayawati said,RSS should concentrate on "gau seva- an act of non-violence", rather than on "gau raksha- which has violence inherent in it" and leads to incidents like the one in Una.
Alleging that violent incidents in the name of gau raksha have been taking place in BJP-ruled states, Mayawati said since the Modi government came to power, first Muslims and now dalits are being targeted on the pretext of protecting cows.
"Despite this, RSS chief's statement for extending security to gau rakshaks can never be an act aimed at strengthening the nation," she said, adding that though RSS chief speaks about connecting society but in reality is supporting those who work against it.
The former chief minister also alleged there was an attempt to torch two dalits in Gorakhpur recently and termed it a result of casteist policies of the Samajwadi Party government.
Earlier today RSS chief backed "countless good people" working lawfully for cow protection and said they should not be compared with those creating trouble in its name.
"There should be a distinction between the two. Trouble- makers try to separate this distinction and create a big nuisance," he said.
Samajwadi Party reduced socialism to nepotism: Mayawati
Accusing the Samajwadi Party of turning the concept of socialism into that of nepotism and using it as a means to serve selfish interests, BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday asked the ruling party to introspect if it has reduced itself to being socialists just for the namesake.
"Samajwadi Party and its government have narrowed down socialism into nepotism to serve selfish means and family interests, they need to introspect if they have not been reduced to socialists just in the namesake," Mayawati said in a statement while congratulating people on the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan on Tuesday.
"It is widely believed that the character, face and behaviour of SP has never been socialist and their thinking has always been casteist, guided by vendetta, which has never matched the teachings of JP, Ram Manohar Lohia," she said.
Reacting to SP setting up a grand "samajwad museum", inaugurated by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav earlier, to commemorate JP's anniversary, she said it was aimed at misleading people and serving the political interest of the family.
She accused the SP of having double-standards and said they (SP) had charged her with misusing government funds when she as the chief minister had set up memorials and museums in the name of various dalit icons.
Describing changing the names of the memorials, districts and institutions set up by her as the new "socialism of Samajwadi Party", Mayawati said this kind of samajwad will come to an end soon.
(With PTI inputs)
