Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Sunday lambasted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for ignoring the institution of the Speaker during the on-going 125th anniversary celebrations of the Uttar Pradesh State Legislature. Mayawati sought to draw Akhilesh's attention to the absence of any mention of the Legislative Assembly speaker or the chairperson of the UP State Legislative Council in a full-page advertisement that appeared in all major newspapers.
K Natwar Singh wore many hats as he straddled the worlds of diplomacy, politics and writing but what remained consistent across decades was his sharp-wit and plainspeaking.
Mayawati also sought the dismissal of a plea, which alleged that pubic funds were misused in the construction of memorials and statues.
'The Congress in the past backed the demand, but will not support it now since the SP opposes any division of UP.'
Mayawati reacted to his statement by saying that "These kind of derogatory statements show that BJP is frustrated with the growing public support for BSP."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have got a tough fight in Varanasi had Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contested against him as Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) candidate, feel party workers from the temple town.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday kept the bulk of ministries, including the key Home and Finance, with him.
The Bahujan Samaj Party has resisted giving up the bungalow on 13-A, Mall Avenue, saying that it had been converted into a memorial to Kanshi Ram in 2011, and the BSP leader occupied just a small portion of it.
Ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati has put a new caste card into play by announcing her support to the ongoing agitation by the Jat community in the western parts of the state. Mayawati on Monday made it loud and clear that she was going to back the Jats in pushing their demand for declaring the community a backward class.
The response was tepid in other parts of the country even as several INDIA bloc parties as well as other non-BJP outfits extended their support to the bandh.
The Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh on Monday renamed eight districts, which had been earlier named by Mayawati, leaving the Bahujan Samaj Party supremo fuming. The decision to change the names was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Blaming the Mayawati government for the backwardness and "barren villages" in Bundelkhand, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed that the Uttar Pradesh chief minister never visited the region to see what drought and poverty is all about. "Mayawati never went to Bundelkhand to see what drought is all about there, and what poverty is," Rahul said while addressing a public meet in Tilhar area in Shahjahanpur, UP.
She alleged that her partymen's counter-remarks were deliberately misconstrued by the saffron party, reflecting its "polluted" and "casteist" mentality.
BSP chief says Ambedkar talked of separate electorates for Dalits; didn't believe in Hindutva.
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Sunday fired a salvo at the Akhilesh Yadav government saying law and order had failed completely in Uttar Pradesh reducing it to "crime pradesh", charge rubbished by the chief minister.
'It is an existential crisis. We cannot recover lost ground through social media. We need to forge alliances and reshape our ideological contours.'
Three of the fence-sitters rule fairly large states Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha that together send 63 members to Lok Sabha -- where the Congress or other opposition parties have been pushed to the margins.
Governor Vishnukant Shastri accepted their resignation on the recommendation of Mayawati.
Nath, a nine-time MP from Chhindwara seat and currently president of state Congress unit, will take oath at a grand function to be held at Jamboree Maidan in BHEL area instead of Lal Parade Ground as announced earlier.
So far it is being assumed that the "divide UP" slogan will work in favour of Mayawati. But there are others who feel that it may backfire, and hurt the pride of the people of UP, says Neerja Chowdhury.
So far it is being assumed that the "divide UP" slogan will work in favour of Mayawati. But there are others who feel that it may backfire, and hurt the pride of the people of UP, says Neerja Chowdhury.
Chief campaigner Rahul Gandhi's electioneering appeared to have helped the Congress only retain its existing strength in the House. It won 22 seats against the 25 it had in the previous assembly.
In a jolt to former Chief Minister Mayawati, the Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta has said public money worth Rs 1,400 crore was siphoned off in construction of memorials during her regime and indicted 199 people including her close aide and former BSP minister Naseemuddi Siddiqui.
Sources said the opposition parties would look to avoid the prickly leadership question as of now and emphasise on building a common ground.
Union minister Raosaheb Danve has caused a flutter by saying if the Bharatiya Janata Party needs victory in the Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra in 2024, then it must ensure that All India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen leader and sitting MP Imtiaz Jaleel contests the election next year.
The opposition parties on Sunday slammed the move to hire public servants through lateral entry, claiming it will snatch reservations from SCs, STs and OBCs, but the Bharatiya Janata Party hit back stating the National Democratic Alliance government was bringing transparency to this mode of recruitment started by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance.
Mayawati charged that the communal atmosphere in the state had been spoilt because of an understanding between the SP and the BJP.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Tuesday staged a statewide protest against the steep hike in petrol prices announced by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance-l government.
Describing the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as a divisive leader, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Saturday expressed fear that the country may witness riots if he wins power at the Centre.
According to some of those present in the meeting, Mayawati also referred to the family feud in the Yadav clan, saying after Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav's younger brother Shivpal decided to contest separately the community votes were not transferred to the BSP, and the SP could not even save its "family seats".
With former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati voicing certain reservations over FDI policy in its present form, the government on Monday sought to keep the Bahujan Samaj Party in good humour by declaring its commitment to a Constitution Amendment Bill providing for promotions for SC/STs in government jobs.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati has refused to respond to the questionnaire on provisions of the Lokpal Bill, saying that seeking opinion of her party before tabling the bill in the Lok Sabha was contradictory to Parliamentary traditions.
Rebels in the Bahujan Samaj Party have attacked their party chief Mayawati for her "extortionist tendencies," with BSP's Rajya Sabha MP Jugal Kishore calling her "daulat ki beti".
The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati's plea challenging a Central Bureau of Investigation probe against her in an alleged disproportionate assets case. A bench headed by P Sathasivam reserved its order after a two-hour-long hearing during which the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister attacked the CBI for "fixing" the disproportionate assets case against her, a charge refuted by the agency.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Sunday accused the Congress of fuelling farmers' protests on the issue of land acquisition and said her political opponents were hatching a conspiracy to weaken her party.
A local sculptor has been roped in to carve out some 150 statues of 'Behenji' to be installed at election offices and other places by BSP candidates in the coming elections for campaigning purposes.
Ruling Bahujan Samaj Party leadership on Wednesday expressed pride in setting ablaze state Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi's house in retaliation to her alleged derogatory remarks against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
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