'Country facing undeclared emergency for last 4 years'

BSP president Mayawati alleged on Tuesday that the country had been under an "undeclared emergency" for the last four years and the people were feeling "suffocated" due to the prevailing situation.

She alleged that the attitude of the BJP governments, at the Centre and in states, was against the poor, farmers, labourers, backwards and Dalits.

Mayawati said the saffron party had lost all moral rights to speak about the welfare of these sections after their continued harassment.

"The country faces a financial emergency due to demonetisation and has been facing a situation akin to an undeclared emergency for the last four years," she said in a statement issued here.

The BSP president said people were feeling "suffocated and harassed" in the prevailing conditions.

"The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi need to introspect on the undeclared emergency-like situation... They should find a solution to problems such as poverty, unemployment and inflation and prove their patriotism," Mayawati said.

She alleged that the BJP government resort to "new gimmicks" and whip up communal passions on a regular basis to run away from its constitutional obligations towards people.

Making tall claims about patriotism had become their habit to hide the anti-people policies, she said.

The BSP chief said BJP leaders had a "casteist" record and their morale was so high that they were openly threatening the media, she alleged.

The reservation facility had almost been made defunct and ineffective and the private sector was being promoted in a big way under the BJP rule, she charged.