Don't feel obliged to vote for BJP for free rations: Mayawati

Budaun: BSP chief Mayawati on Monday asked poor people not to feel obliged to vote for the BJP because of the free rations they get from the central government.

"Since some time, the BJP-led centre has been providing small amounts of ration to the poor families and during elections, the BJP and RSS people go to villages and ask them to repay the debt by giving their votes to the BJP," Mayawati said while addressing an election rally here in support of her party nominees.

People should not get misguided by this as the free ration being provided is not coming from the pockets of Prime Minister Narendra Modi or BJP, but from the taxpayers’ money, the BSP supremo said. “You need not think that it has to be repaid. This is your own money."

In November last year, the Centre extended the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) scheme to provide 5 kilogrammes of free foodgrains per month to 81.35 crore poor for another five years that would cost the exchequer about Rs 11.80 lakh crore.

The scheme was last extended till December 31, 2023.

She also stressed that the problems of the poor people will end only by providing them employment, and said that if given a chance her party's government will pay attention to it.

Attacking the Samajwadi Party, Mayawati alleged that it has been seen mostly that where Muslims are more in majority, SP gives tickets to Hindu and where Hindus are more in number, they field a Muslim candidate.

"This is the character of the Samajwadi Party," she said.

In Budaun, which has a sizable Muslim population, the SP decided that the candidate will be that of “their own family, of their own caste”, she alleged and stressed that there is no discrimination in her party over ticket allocation and proper representation is given to everyone.

Attacking her political opponents, the BSP president alleged that like the Congress, the BJP too has politicised the investigating agencies.

She said in the last few years, the development and progress of Muslims and religious minorities has stopped and atrocities and oppression under the guise of Hindutva is at its extreme.

Calling the voters to stop supporting the Congress, BJP and their allies, she said that these parties will try every means to come to power.

She alleged that opponents are using media, opinion polls and surveys for it and said the same is the case of election manifesto with hollow promises which are mostly not implemented by these parties after polls.

Mayawati sought support for her party candidates from Badaun, Muslim Khan, Abid Ali from Aonla seat and Saulat Ali from Sambhal constituency and appealed to the people to make them victorious during the rally.

Polling on these three seats will be held in the third phase on May 7.