Mayawati threatens to embrace Buddhism

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati on Tuesday warned that if the BJP did not change its anti-dalit and anti-OBC mentality, she and her supporters would be forced to convert to Buddhism like Bhimrao Ambedkar.

She said that Dr Ambedkar had to urged saints and seers to change the system in Hinduism which alienated the deprived sections of society. “But this did not happen and Dr Ambedkar gave up Hinduism and adopted the Buddhist faith,” she said.

Addressing a rally in Azamgarh on Tuesday, Ms Mayawati lashed out at the BJP for pursuing the RSS agenda of caste politics and blamed the party for the suicide of Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad and the Una killings.

“It was the BJP that is responsible for the caste riots in Saharanpur. When I tried to raise the issue in the Rajya Sabha, I was not allowed to speak and that is why I resigned from the Upper House,” she explained.

“The BJP is promoting caste politics and the Prime Minister is misleading the people by talking of New India. We will not allow them to succeed in their designs and the BSP will emerge stronger in the municipal elections,” she stated.

Taking a dig at UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the BSP president said, “He can look after the development of the state only if he gets time from his religious duties and temple visits in Gorakhpur, Ayodhya and Chitrakoot”.

She alleged that despite being a representative from the backward Purvanchal area, the chief minister has not been able to give attention to its development.

She claimed that the BJP leaders can go for prayers to temples in Ayodhya, Mathura and Varanasi to hide their shortcomings but the people will no longer be misled by their “religious card”.

“The previous Samajwadi Party government was not good, but the present government is worse and is even lagging behind them”, Ms Mayawati said.