Mayawati slams SP's PDA politics, says exploiting Dalits for political gains

New Delhi, April 17 (IANS) Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has launched a sharp attack on the Samajwadi Party (SP), accusing it of exploiting Dalits for political gains.

In a series of posts on X on Thursday, the BSP leader said the SP, like other parties, has been trying to incite tension and violence by using Dalits as political tools.

She posted on X in Hindi (loosely translated as), "It is known that, like other parties, SP too is creating an environment of tension and violence by putting forward people of the party, especially Dalits, and its controversial statements, allegations and counter-allegations and programmes etc., seem to be their politics of extreme narrow selfishness."

She cautioned Dalits, OBCs and Muslims against SP's political tactics, saying the party can go to any extent to get Dalit votes.

"Because SP can go to any extent to get Dalit votes. Therefore, along with Dalits, Other Backward Classes and the Muslim community should not get influenced by their aggressive instigations and not fall prey to the political tactics of this party," she wrote on X.

The BSP chief said the SP should stop commenting on the history of others. "Also, instead of commenting on the history of others, it would be better if the opportunistic Dalits associated with such parties tell about the goodness and struggles of the saints, gurus and great men of their society, due to which these people have become worthy of something."

The former four-time Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh attacked Akhilesh Yadav's party following the SP's efforts to consolidate support among Backward Classes, Dalits, and minorities in the state.

Under the guise of its recent PDA campaign, the SP has been focusing on these groups to consolidate its position in the state and take on the BJP.

This was clear in the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief's long post on X on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Ambedkar.

Akhilesh Yadav said only the unity of PDA (Pichda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak or backwards, Dalits and minorities) can save the Constitution and the reservation.

He wrote in Hindi (loosely translated as), "Let us strengthen our sense of 'self-respect' and unite to establish the 'rule of social justice' and give new strength to the PDA's movement to save Baba Saheb's gift and heritage 'Constitution and Reservation' and reiterate that 'Constitution is the life-giver' and 'Constitution is the shield' and that as long as the Constitution remains safe, our honour, respect, self-respect and rights will remain safe."

"Under 'self-respect', we have understood the value of our 'unity of self' along with our cordial, socialist, secular, democratic standards and values and also the transformative power of this unity in the form of PDA. Only through 'self-respect', the people of the PDA society will be able to gain their decisive power and get free from oppression, tyranny and pain, and get the right to live with self-respect and will be able to give a constitutional answer to the oppressive, oppressive, dominant, power-hungry negative forces. Only the unity of PDA will save the Constitution and reservation, only the unity of PDA will create a golden future. Let us turn this struggle of our 'self-respect and self-esteem' into a celebration," the SP chief said in his post.

--IANS

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