Maya threatens to withdraw support to UPA

Mayawati once again have issued an ultimatum to the UPA government of withdrawing BSP’s support to the Centre. The UP chief minister told at a BSP gathering in Bhopal that the BSP will consider withdrawal of support after March 10.

Within one month ago, she had said the BSP could withdraw support to the UPA government anytime after January 15.

Ms. Mayawati was addressing a party rally (Sarvasamaj Bhaichara Banao Maharally) on the Lal Parade grounds. The theme of the rally was “Brotherhood among all communities.”

Mayawati looked annoyed at the Congress while she said, "I supported the Congress government at the Centre. I also backed its presidential and vice-presidential nominees. But the Congress is trying to frame me in the fraudulent Taj Corridor case.”

She further said that jealous of BSP’s growth, opposition parties were gathering ‘fake’ cases against her to mount political pressure. First BJP had raised the Taj corridor issue and now the Congress-led UPA government was trying to reopen it, she allegedly said.

Ms Mayawati’s threat of setting time frame of withdrawing support from the UPA government coincides with a move in the part of the income-tax department to challenge the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), which had given clean chit to the UP chief minister. In a recent order, ITAT had legitimised the cash and properties the chief minister had gathered through the ‘donation’ route.

Mayawati said the Taj Corridor case was being re-opened to building pressure upon her, but she said, "I am not purchasable. I'll go to jail, but won't yield.”

She told the BSP was the only political party that has supported reservation in the private sector. The policy would be implemented once the party came to power at the Centre, she pledged.

The BSP chief said since the party’s support base was expanding, there seems to be panic prevalent all around and one of the reason for Congress-led UPA government at the Centre was denying her SPG cover.

There were intelligence reports about threat to her life. The Congress would be responsible and her party men would not spare them if anything happened to her, she said.

She said our motto for the rural people is to provide them work throughout the year and she said if BSP comes to power at the Centre, it would remove Congress's National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme which provides 100-day employment to rural poor, and replace it one that provides work for all 365 days.

The Congress is now thinking on a single point that unless the BSP is not contained in UP, it will be harming its interests in states such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.