Mayawati and Sonia cross swords in UP Wednesday, 01 February 2012 23:14

Lucknow/New Delhi: A week before polling begins in Uttar Pradesh, the battle reached a feverish pitch yesterday as Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and BSP leader Mayawati crossed swords, calling themselves the saviour of India’s most populous state.

Addressing major public rallies in UP where balloting will be staggered February 8 to March 3, Mayawati accused the central government of starving the state of development funds. Sonia  asserted that Rs100,000 crore given to the state did not reach the poor and linked Mayawati to corruption.

In Sitapur, a Dalit citadel, an upbeat Mayawati pointed to the large crowds that had gathered to listen to her as a sign of her invincibility. She claimed that her government had done more work in the past five years than any other government since India’s independence.

Asked if she was confident of winning, Mayawati said: “You can judge seeing the crowds.”

Talking to reporters, Mayawati said her government had done more work in the past five years than any other government in the state since the country became independent and asserted that only her BSP can ensure progress of all communities.

Asked if she would continue to be chief minister after the elections, Mayawati said the question should be put to people who have to elect a new government.

Pitching for an inclusive growth in the state which sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha, Mayawati, the first Dalit chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, said: “There is need to ensure progress of all communities. Only the BSP can ensure that.  “The centre did not cooperate with us fully,” she charged.

She took the opportunity to also take on the election commission for ordering draping of all her statues as well as those of the stone elephants installed by her in the multi-billion memorials and parks in Lucknow and in Noida, asking supporters to demonstrate their anger by turning out to vote for her party.

“Come what may, you must not miss out on exercising your voting right. Remember your vote is very precious and you must protect it like you would protect the honour of your daughters and sisters,” she told the gathering at the sprawling Government Intermediate College grounds here.

“Remember if the Congress were to form a government in UP, then every small trader will be finished as Congress is just waiting to open FDI in retail and hand over all consumer trade to multinationals.”

Holding her first rally in UP, Sonia slammed the Mayawati government for “inefficient implementation of centrally funded programmes” and questioned the Dalit leader’s motives behind dismissing 21 of her ministers on the eve of elections.

Speaking in Gonda town, Sonia said though the UPA government provided Rs100,000 crore in developmental funds to Uttar Pradesh in recent years, it had not reached the poor because of an “inept” state administration.

Asking people to vote for the Congress, Gandhi said: “”Then, we will have a government of the common people and the poor.

“The present chief minister dismissed 21 of her ministers on election eve. She was not able to see their corruption in the past five years. I want to ask whether taking resignations has made her government clean? Is this not (a case of) cheating the people?”

Sonia charged non-Congress governments of ruining the state since the Congress has been out of power in 1989.

“These parties have done nothing for the state. They have filled their own pockets,” she said.

The Congress has shown signs of revival in the state.

The Congress won only 22 seats in the 403-member state assembly in 2007. But it swept 22 of the Lok Sabha 80 seats in 2009, finishing second among four major parties and stunning foes and friends alike.

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi and RLD chief Ajit Singh will address a joint rally at Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh today.

IANS

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