BSP will go alone during polls: Mayawati rules out alliance with any political outfit in Punjab

Nawanshahr (Punjab): BSP supremo Mayawati on Tuesday ruled out alliance with any political party in the Punjab assembly election scheduled for early next year. Addressing a state-level rally organized in Nawanshahr at Dana Mandi to celebrate the birth anniversary of party founder Kanshi Ram, she said “the party would go all alone during the poll.” The BSP supremo said she would personally supervise the distribution of tickets so that only right candidates capable of winning the election are given the tickets. She said that in order to prepare a second line of leadership well-versed in BSP ideology, she had decided to reserve 50 per cent of seats for the youth at all levels in the party set-up. [caption id=“attachment_2676798” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A file photo of Mayawati. PTI[/caption] Mayawati asked the Dalit voters to “not sell themselves and their votes” by falling prey to various kinds of allurements offered by other political outfits during the polls. She claimed that only BSP was capable of safeguarding their interests in Punjab. “You can form a government on your own in Punjab without entering into alliance with any party as you have the requisite population here,” she exhorted the Dalits. “Neither a government headed by a Jat nor that headed by a Bania (trader) will serve your interests in the long run,” she said. Referring to Arvind Kejriwal’s visit to Punjab on Tuesday, she said a leader from Bania community was trying to get their votes by colluding with some of the relatives of late Kanshi Ram and by visiting religious deras in the state. Coming down heavily on Kejriwal, she said Dalits should never forget that he always spoke “against” reservation when he was not in power. “As against superior caste mentality shown by Jat CMs in Punjab, my party in UP during its four stints always worked for all sections of society,” she claimed. She even criticised Badal led SAD-BJP government for not lodging an FIR in the Abohar incident where atrocious treatment was meted out to two Dalits. PTI