BJP, Congress inclined towards corporate houses, says Mayawati

Kangra/Una: BSP chief Mayawati on Monday lashed out at BJP and Congress, alleging both political parties of working under the pressure of industrialists and corporate houses who provide them election funds. "Both Congress and BJP get sponsors who help them in elections and later these parties formulate most of the policies that are aimed to benefit such industrialists and corporate houses," she said in election rallies at Una, Kangra and other places of Himachal.

"We are contesting elections from our own funds and have no sponsors for polls," Mayawati said. Criticising the UPA government at the Centre and the BJP government in Himachal, she said both made schemes and programmes for socio-economic upliftment of the poor, Dalits and down-trodden but the impact of these programmes were not visible and these classes remained neglected and oppressed. Mayawati sought to dispel the impression that BSP stood for some particular castes, saying her party supports all minorities, backwards and poor, neglected by different governments since independence.

"We are not a party of any particular caste but support all the weaker sections irrespective of class or caste they belong to and our commitment is to work for the welfare of unemployed, poor and minorities," she said. Cautioning people against the "mischievous propaganda" that the BSP was interested in upliftment of Dalits, she said that the party's philosophy was welfare of "Sarva Samaj ,(all sections of the society) without any discrimination.

Mayawati alleged both political parties of working under the pressure of industrialists and corporate houses who provide them election funds.

If the BSP came to power in Himachal, the state would be developed on the pattern of Uttar Pradesh, she said. Citing poverty and unemployment as two major problems faced by Himachal, Mayawati said her government had taken several steps top solve these problems in UP and would try to replicate the same in the hill state. She said the BSP was also in favour of reservation for economically backward and poor sections of upper castes and claimed that her party had conveyed its views on the issue to the UPA government but there has been no response yet.

In the upcoming Himachal polls, BSP is contesting at 66 out of 68 seats, whereas, it had fielded candidates in all constituencies in 2007 and won from one assembly segment. However, its lone MLA, Sanjay Chowdhary later joined BJP and is seeking re-election from Kangra on BJP ticket.

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