Poverty eradication likely only through jobs: Mayawati

Ridiculing Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) or minimum income scheme of the Congress, BSP supremo Mayawati said poverty eradication is possible only by providing jobs to the poor.

Addressing an election campaign in favour of all 28 Lok Sabha candidates of the party in the state here on Wednesday, she said if the BSP is voted to power, a member of each poor family will be provided a job in government or government-aided departments, agencies and institutions.

She said the announcement of NYAY to provide Rs 6,000 a month to the families of the poor will not work as the Congress has no resolve to uplift the weaker sections.

Attacking both the Congress and the BJP, Mayawati said the Congress, which ruled the nation and also most of the states for a major part of post-Independence era, has been rejected by the people.

“The BJP, which came to power by promising ‘acche din’, will be rejected this time as it has failed to deliver its promises. People now understand the gimmicks of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They know that Modi is a chowkidar of the rich, industrialists and capitalists. The BJP is misusing even issues related to national security to return to power,” she said.

“The BJP has misused and is misusing huge public funds for propaganda. It kept pending various works for over four and a half years. Most of them were completed and launched just before the announcement of the elections. The BJP is also exploiting the people like Congress. Both parties have neglected the minorities. If the Congress is infamous for the Bofors scam, the BJP is mired in the Rafale deal. Both parties have misused the Enforcement Directortate, CBI and Income Tax department to weaken their opponents,” said Mayawati.

“The BJP’s slogan of ‘Sab ka sath, sab ka vikas’ is a joke. People suffered as demonetisation and Goods and Service Tax were implemented without proper planning and preparation. Corruption has not been checked as promised. The national borders are not yet secure,” she said.