Katiyar assails Mayawati over Ambedkar's statues

Varanasi, Apr 2 (UNI) Firebrand BJP leader Vinay Katiyar today alleged BSP president Mayawati has turned the reverred persona of Bhim Rao Ambedkar into a ''land mafia'' by installing statues of the Dalit icon in villages of Uttar Pradesh.

''The basic purpose behind installing the statues of Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar is not to spread his mantra of egalitarian society among masses. Instead the former UP Chief Minister Mayawati has used the installation of Ambedkar statues to grab rural land for amassing wealth,'' the BJP National General Secretary alleged addressing a party workers meeting in Cholapur area here.

Mr Katiyar said Ms Mayawati converted the Dalit icon into a ''land mafia'' by indulging in land grabbing in the guise of elevating his persona.

Attacking Ms Mayawati further, he said ''A woman who once owned a broken cycle now has Rs 11 crore in her bank account. She has commercialised politics by selling BSP tickets only to those who are willing to shell out whopping sums for riding the elephant symbol in the election.'' He said the time has come for Dalits to wake up to reality that Ms Mayawati was not serious about serving their cause, but was merely building a ''wealthy empire'' for herself on the back of their sentiments.

UNI