IANS

Mumbai, Nov 26 (mb) : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday exhorted people to bring the BSP to power at the centre and states to improve the lot of the poor, minorities and weaker sections of society.

Addressing a huge rally at the Shivaji Park here, Mayawati lashed out at all other parties including the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and their allies, saying these parties always came to power and ruled with the support of industrialists. 

"After coming to power, they just forget the poor, the backwards, minorities and the downtrodden of society who continue to suffer in misery," Mayawati said.

It has been the same story the past 60 years of Independence, rich became richer while poverty afflicting the silent masses was not eradicated, she said. 

The time for change has come and people have the option of selecting the BSP in the states and the centre, said the chief minister, urging all backward sections to unite.

She appealed to the people to wholeheartedly support the BSP in its quest to provide social justice to all, irrespective of caste, community, religion or social hierarchy.

"We shall not enrich the rich and affluent, but serve to bring a smile to the poorest of the poor in the remotest corners of India."

Mayawati said the BSP was not against the upper castes since it would not be possible to achieve total social justice without the support and backing of the upper castes.

In Maharashtra, the Congress - part of the ruling alliance - was apprehensive of the challenges posed by the BSP in the past few years, she claimed. That was the reason why prior to the last assembly elections in 2004, the party replaced chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh with Sushilkumar Shinde, a Dalit leader.

She said that when BSP would come to power in the state, it would choose a suitable person as chief minister, irrespective of the caste factor.

Commenting on the spectre of unemployment in the country, Mayawati assured that if the BSP were voted to power at the centre, she would implement reservations in the private sector. "In Uttar Pradesh, we have not only filled up all the reserved posts lying vacant for years, but are also implementing reservations in the private sector," she said.