Congress, BJP treat Dalits as vote bank: Mayawati

Lucknow: Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and BSP chief Mayawati lashed out at the Congress and the BJP on Tuesday, accusing the two parties of insulting Bharat Ratna Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

Addressing party workers here on the occasion of his 124th birth anniversary, Mayawati said the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other parties never gave to Ambedkar the respect which he deserved and only used him as an election mascot.

"They (political parties) always resented Ambedkar. They are engaged in drama to out do each other in celebrating Ambedkar's anniversary," said the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief.

The former chief minister alleged that the Congress had always detested Ambedkar and worked for his defeat in polls.

She said all parties used Dalits as a vote bank and never worked for their welfare, and exhorted party workers and supporters to uproot the "corrupt, anti-Dalit Samajwadi Party government in the state and elect the BSP to power in the 2017 state assembly polls".

She said the people of the state will not be hoodwinked by the BJP even if it tries to entice Dalits by announcing welfare schemes for them.