'Elephant' giving nightmares to Rahul, says Mayawati

Mayawati also exhorted the people to support the BSP in the forthcoming Assembly polls and thwart the “designs” of the “anti-dalit” forces saying that her opponents might project a dalit chief minister in a bid to confuse them.

“The elephant must be chasing him in his dreams and that is why he has not been attending the Lok Sabha session and indulging in drama in UP,” Mayawati said while addressing a massive ‘dalit-backward’ rally here.

In her hour-long speech, Mayawati targeted the Congress and focussed on Rahul, who had during his recent visit said that the “elephant has been eating away the Central funds.” She also sought to deflect Rahul’s criticism of her government on alleged irregularities in MNREGA schemes.

No monopoly
She said the schemes were not the monopoly of the Congress and every state had full right over them.

“We will provide 365 days of employment to the rural people when our party comes to power at the Centre,” she said.

Mayawati also strongly criticised Rahul for his “begging” remark and said that to “call people of UP beggars is humiliating.”

Stating that UP needs to a dalit chief minister for the next 10-15 years, she said even if the opposition projects a dalit or a most backward caste as chief minister, “the real power will still be in the hands of the other castes.”

She also blamed the Congress for the ills of the state and ridiculed Rahul’s statement that the Congress would make UP number one state in the country within 10 years. “When they did nothing for UP in 40 years, what will they do in 10 years,” she asked.
She said none of her family would contest the next Assembly elections.