LUCKNOW: The BSP chief Mayawati on October 11 said that the Congress-led UPA government at the centre has failed on all fronts but she will continue to support it. “It’s true that the UPA’s policies and decisions are anti-people but I need some more time to review the situation and make up my mind for the final call,” she said, while addressing reporters after back-to-back meetings of the party’s national working committee and its parliamentary board committee that began around 10am and ended just past noon.
Tuesday was a hectic day for the BSP supremo and her senior and trusted lieutenants as the party first took out a rally that ended at 2pm and then around 7pm the parliamentary board of the BSP held a meeting where Mayawati and senior BSP leaders debated the issue of support to UPA at length. This was followed by a meeting of the party’s national working committee that ended past midnight.
The press conference of Mayawati post noon on Wednesday came after the two rounds of meetings where she said that the party has come to the conclusion that UPA’s policies have resulted in high inflation and economic crisis in the country. “In 2009, the BSP had extended outside support to the Congress-led UPA government to keep the BJP at bay. The BSP then was also of the view that the UPA will work for dalits, farmers, backwards and minorities but the central government’s performance has been very poor. Today the country is suffering because of anti-people policies of the UPA,” she said.
Mayawati said that after reviewing the situation again, she will take a final call at an ‘appropriate time’ and inform the media. Mayawati, who usually leaves press conferences after reading out her statement, stayed back and interacted with the media. She refused to answer queries on the Supreme Court notice on the disproportionate assets case against her saying the issue for which she has called the press conference is different.
She told reporters that she has asked her party workers to expose the central government’s corruption and anti-people policies by holding cadre camps, public meetings, demonstrations and protests across the country. She also informed that she has asked the cadres to be ready for snap polls which can take place any time before schedule because of the instability at the Centre. The BSP has 20 MPs in the Lok Sabha.