The BSP chief also took the Congress to task by saying, “The national party has taken no concrete steps for the betterment of the backward communities, including Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and minorities - be it the Sikhs, the Christians or the Muslims".

In a reference to the Congress possibly naming Rahul Gandhi as the PM candidate, she said, “Though the Congress has not declared anybody as its prime ministerial candidate, it is apparent that their ‘Yuvaraj’ is a candidate for the top post”.

She said BJP’s PM candidate was claiming that if voted to power his party would change the picture of the country but what did the party do when the NDA was in power.

Though aimed at speaking in support of the party candidates from Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh, the BSP chief focused on national issues and hardly mentioned anything pertaining to local issues.

Blaming the UPA government at the Centre and states government over quota, she said she favoured reservations on the basis of economic status.

She cautioned the BSP cadres not to fall prey to any “false propaganda” by the Congress and the BJP and their “evil designs”. She said both the parties would be stopped from coming to power.

Both the BJP and the Congress win elections with the help of industrialists or business houses, she said. Mayawati alleged that the benefits of various Central schemes had not reached the poor. The Centre had also failed to bring back black money worth crores of rupees held by Indians in foreign banks.

“Don’t get carried away by tall promises being made by parties in their election manifestos. The BSP does not believe in coming up with manifesto since it believes in the welfare of backward communities,” said Mayawati.