Bharat Ratna to two Brahmins discrimination against Dalits: Mayawati

She also attacked the Centre for adopting the “ordinance route” on key issues terming it “anti-farmer and made with an intention to give undue benefit to the business community”.

“The BJP government has the same discriminatory attitude as that of the previous Congress-led UPA government. The Congress government had not declared national mourning after the death of Kanshi Ram and the BJP government has continued with the same casteist mindset. It has given Bharat Ratna to two persons from the same caste, which my party does not oppose, but none from the Dalit or OBC category was chosen,” she said.

Mayawati said Kanshi Ram should have been given the highest civilian honour for his sacrifice and hard work for the upliftment of Dalits. “Similarly, Jyotiba Phule, who belonged to a backward caste, should have been given the award for working in the field of education and and efforts to establish equality in society.

Taking exception to the Modi government adopting the ordinance route, Mayawati said this was not in keeping with the spirit of the Constitution. On the land acquisition ordinance, she said it was against the interest of farmers.

“I do not find it right…the amendments could have been brought in the next session of Parliament,” she said, adding interests of capitalists were being safeguarded by the government.

She said the NDA government has not shown any interest in last seven months of fulfilling the promises made during the elections.

She alleged that as per a conspiracy, the quotafor Dalits and backwards was being neutralised by allocating major works to the private sector.

Mayawati also criticised the organisations affiliated to BJP, saying they were hatching a conspiracy to spoil the atmosphere by raising the issue of conversion and promising a ‘Hindu Rashtra’.

To a question on replacing Planning Commission by a new think-tank, NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India), she said government should concentrate on solving problems of the poor and unemployed. “Changing names will not usher in any change in the country,” she said.