Cong,SP anti-Ambedkar: Maya tells party leaders

The party will hold demonstrations against the Bill at the district headquarters across the country on April 14 on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

Mayawati met her party leaders at her official residence on Saturday morning. The BSP aims to target the Congress over the Bill,which has been described by the party as against the thoughts of Ambedkar.

On March 25,the BSP had organised protest demonstrations to expose the Opposition parties’ alleged conspiracy to derail the party’s movement.

While the March 25 demonstrations were confined to the state,the party has decided to organise the Women’s Bill protest across the country.

“She wants us to ensure a good show of the party at the district headquarters on April 14. She directed us to communicate to the people that the Bill in its current shape is against the thoughts of Babasaheb Ambedkar,” said one of the party legislators,who attended the meeting.

According to the legislator,she made it clear that the party is not against the reservation for women.

Mayawati told her party leaders that all the parties,particularly the Congress,has always been anti-Ambedkar.

This was the reason he (Ambedkar) was forced to sign the Pune Pact (under which Dalits agreed to reservation of SC/ST seats for Lok Sabha polls and gave up the demand for separate electorate) and was not conferred with Bharat Ratna by the Congress government,she said.

“Forty three years after Independence,the non-Congress National Front government headed by V P Singh had honored Ambedkar with the Bharat Ratna under the pressure of BSP,” a release issued by the BSP read.

Other than the Congress,she also attacked the state’s main Opposition Samajwadi Party.

According to her,the SP,when in power,did not declare a day of national mourning when Kashiram passed away. She added like the Congress,the SP,too,was anti-Ambedkar.

Referring to the Bill,she said it was Ambedkar who ensured voting rights for women. Babasaheb was always in favour of giving opportunities to women who were exploited.