Election 2019: Mayawati slams Amit Shah for his remarks on Ambedkar

Mayawati

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president and former Chief Minister Mayawati on Sunday slammed BJP chief Amit Shah for saying that BSP remembers Bhimrao Ambedkar only during elections.

"Inspired by Baba Saheb, BSP is the only party which works for the welfare of all the communities," BSP chief said while terming the BJP chief's comment as mischievous and a lie.

BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday took a jibe at BSP supremo Mayawati, stating she remembers BR Ambedkar only during elections.

"When it is time for elections, Behenji remembers Ambedkar ji. But when she comes to power, she forgets Ambedkar ji and builds her own statues," Shah said while addressing an election rally in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

"It is the BJP government that has built Ambedkar ji's memorial in five years. We have done a lot of work for Dalits in the last five years," added the BJP president.

Urging BJP to do some introspection, the BSP chief Mayawati said, "If BJP was truly devoted to Ambedkar, then it would not have allowed anyone to torture his (Ambedkar's) followers at any cost."

"Not just that, does BJP, its state and central government, which snatched the rights of Ambedkar's followers and dealt with them with a heavy hand, have any right to celebrate the birth anniversary of Dr Ambedkar?" she asked.

She said this while addressing a programme to celebrate the birth anniversary of Bhimrao Ambedkar.

"Dr Ambedkar gave an invaluable constitutional gift to the Dalits, backwards and minorities by giving voting rights with equal values to everyone," she said and termed the "gift" as a master key for the underprivileged to gain power and work for their own welfare.

"We have to complete that work," she appealed.

She also lauded Dr Ambedkar for giving the nation a humanitarian constitution.

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