Modi's hope of getting bonus votes in UP imaginary, says Mayawati

Chandauli (UP), Mar 2: BSP supremo Mayawati termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expectation that the BJP would get 'bonus' votes as "hawa-hawai" and claimed that people have made up their mind to vote for her party.

"The electorates have already made up their mind to go with the BSP. They will be playing Holi of communal amity," she told at a poll rally here. Addressing an election rally in Maharajganj yesterday, Modi had claimed the electorates have already ensured BJP's victory in the first five phases and now they would give surplus votes to the party as "gift and bonus" in the remaining two rounds. Mayawati also claimed, "The RSS and the BJP want to end the reservation system in the country.

If the BJP forms the government in the state, it would either end the quota system or make it ineffective." She accused Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav of being affected by "blind love" for his son Akhilesh Yadav while making a "deliberate" move to isolate his brother Shivpal Singh Yadav.

"Mulayam Singh Yadav seems to have been affected by 'putra-moh' (blind love for son) and has even insulted brother Shivpal. This would lead to division of votes between the two factions of the party," the BSP chief said. Mayawati claimed that most of the welfare schemes which the SP government claims to have started, owe their origin to the Bahujan Samaj Party rule.

"The Samajwadi Party has conveniently changed the names of schemes started by the BSP. The much-hyped Samajwadi Pension Yojana was known as Mahamaya Gareeb Aarthik Madad Yojana," the former chief minister claimed, adding if voted to power, the BSP would ensure that the rule of law prevails. She said while the BJP is contesting the polls without any chief ministerial face, SP's CM face has become "tainted" and is facing problems of poor law and order situation and spurt in crime.

PTI