Khalilabad, April 7
Calling Rahul Gandhi’s pro-Dalit politics a sham, Chief Minister Mayawati today charged Rahul Gandhi of having a bath with a special soap and undergoing “shudhikaran” (ritual cleansing) every time he stayed or ate at a Dalit’s house.

Virtually launching an anti-Congress diatribe during her election rally at Khalilabad in Sant Kabir Nagar district today Mayawati said Congress, frustrated at BSP’s rapidly growing popular base, was “sending its yuvraj from place to place to live and eat in the house of Dalits.”

Claiming to be in possession of reliable information, Mayawati said, “When the yuvraj returns home in New Delhi he is made to have a bath with a special soap. I have heard that he undergoes ‘shudhikaran’ (ritual cleansing) with dhoop and agarbati (incense sticks).

Describing Congress’ love for the Dalits as a “new drama” she told the audience that with such tactics power would continue to elude the Congress, as they have no intention to eradicate the poverty and unemployment of the Dalits.

“The Congress is completely unnerved by the BSP managing to garner the support of the Brahmins along with the Dalits to form a government in UP. It is dreading the fallout of a similar coming together of these forces in other states during the forthcoming Lok Sabha election,” predicted Mayawati.

Mainly blaming the Congress, and in some measure the BJP, for keeping UP in the clutches of poverty and debt since independence, Mayawati said this was mainly due to economic policies driven by big industrialists.

Recounting her government’s achievement during the past 11 months, she said it was now time for her government to demand “hisaab” from the central government for not releasing its share of funds of many central schemes jeopardising the development work of her government.