Maya skips all-party meet, terms it diversionary tactic

BSP supremo Mayawati on Wednesday dubbed the all-party meeting, convened by prime minister Narendra Modi, on 'one nation, one poll' as an attempt to ''divert'' the attention of the people from burning issues facing the country.

Mayawati, whose party skipped the meeting along with Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP), said here that she would have attended the meeting if it had been convened to discuss the 'EVMs' (electronic voting machines).

''Elections can never be a problem in a democratic country...elections should not be viewed in terms of expenditure,'' the BSP supremo said in a post on her Twitter handle.

''It is undemocratic and unconstitutional to even think of one nation, one polls in a big country like India,'' the BSP leader said.

''In fact the talk of one nation, one poll is an attempt to divert the attention of the people from burning issues like inflation, rising crime, poverty and unemployment,'' she said.

Mayawati said that the trust of the people in the EVMs had ''declined sharply''. ''The real danger posed to the constitution is the EVM,'' she remarked.

BSP has been demanding the use of ballot papers in the elections in place of the EVMs.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav, whose party also skipped the meeting, said that the BJP government should ''focus'' on fulfilling the promises it had made to the people of the country during the election campaign.

''Fulfillment of the promises should be the priority...these things (one nation, one poll meet) can wait,'' Akhilesh told reporters.