“Mahatma Gandhi attempted to divide the society by differentiating the Scheduled Caste persons as Harijans, while B R Ambedkar played the role of uniting the society,” claimed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP supremo Mayawati here on Saturday.

Addressing mediapersons at a “Meet the Press” programme at the Chandigarh Press Club here, Mayawati said though she appreciated Gandhi’s role in helping India gain freedom, she did not appreciate him for “attempting to divide the society”.

She said Gandhi coined the term “Harijan” to describe the Scheduled Caste persons which is an unconstitutional term. She said such differentiation created fissures in the society and reinforced the caste system.
“Baba Ambedkar’s role while framing the Constitution was much more constructive and he promoted unity among the lower and upper castes,” she said adding that both Gandhi and Ambedkar had differences over several issues during their lifetime.

She said the Constitution framed by Ambedkar had accorded reservations to SCs, STs and backward classes to bring them at par with the upper castes.

On reservation, she said her party wanted to go a step further and has demanded reservations for religious minorities like Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians as also the economically backward among the upper castes.

‘NO PACT WITH CONG, BJP’
Chandigarh, DHNS: The BSP national president and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati said on Saturday that both the Congress and the BJP were its political “enemies” and the party will not forge any alliance with them in the next general elections.

 Mayawati also declared that her party will not strike alliance with any party in the forthcoming Assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.