Maya spits fire at Election Comm, calls it anti-dalit

Lucknow, Jan 16: A day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister released a list of BSP candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections 2012 on the occasion of her 56th birthday, reports have emerged of her spitting fire at the Election Commission. She called the EC's order to drape her statues and cover the various elephant statues (BSP symbol) that she had erected in the state a "one-sided” and “anti-dalit" order.

She also took the opportunity to admit her mistake in the 2007 elections and said that her party had given tickets to the “wrong people”, who in turn damaged the image of the party and the government as a whole.

Releasing the list of 403 candidates, Mayawati said, "These outsiders inducted into the party and given tickets also corrupted our cadres. (But) we have taken action against them... This time have given tickets to only those who are committed to the BSP’s ideology and have a clean image."

This time around, Mayawati chose to have a low-key celebration since the BSP wanted to make sure there was no violation of the model code of conduct.

Talking to reporters on the occasion, Mayawati said that the BSP symbol was being targetted by the EC.

Substantiating her claims, she said that the park in Chandigarh that houses a 45-foot-high hand, which is the Congress' party symbol was not put under EC's radar. There was also no action taken on SP's cycle symbol, RLD's hand pump symbol and the BJP's lotus symbol.

In spite of the low-key celebration, Mayawati chose to be decked up and was seen wearing a pink brocade salwar-suit complete with diamond jewellery. Though there was no formal cake-cutting, the reporters gathered there were served plum cakes.

Mayawati spoke on the EC's decision and said, "to cover statues of elephants and those of mine next to late Kanshi Ram (was) an insult to his memory (which) dalits will never forgive."

OneIndia News