Addressing a public rally on Sunday during her visit to Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati alleged that the Congress-led state government was attempting to push slumdwellers out of the metropolis. She went on to demand that either they be given employment options or, at the very least, be provided free housing in highrises in the city.
The Bahujan Samaj Party chief held a public rally at the Nirlon Grounds in Goregaon, where she made every effort to capture the imagination and votes of dalits and other North Indians living in Mumbai.
“The Congress-led government in the state wants to throw out the slumdwellers from this metro. I wish to convey to the state government that these slumdwellers should be provided employment before evicting them from Mumbai. And if you don’t have resources to provide them with a livelihood, then I will advise the government to build highrises and provide them two-room houses in those buildings, in the same area, so that their employment avenues are protected,” Ms Mayawati said.
“A large number of people from all over the country, specially those from North India, come to Mumbai to earn their living, and have now settled here and built huts. They have not built palaces. Wherever they have found employment, they are staying in nearby slums of that area,” the UP chief minister said.
The BSP has been trying to gain a foothold in Maharashtra politics, but has not achieved any major success so far. Ms Mayawati expressed confidence that her party would not only win a few seats, but also come to power in the state soon.
Further, Ms Mayawati said on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, she bowed to the champion of the downtrodden who initiated the idea of reservations for dalits and the downtrodden. “Keeping his work and ideas in mind, we have taken up many important schemes in UP. I will ensure we follow the path shown by Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj and do everything possible for dalits,” she said. Ms Mayawati added that her party did not intend to remain restricted to UP and had plans to expand in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. “If we have indomitable faith in our idols and their teachings, and work accordingly, there is no power which can stop us from coming to power in these states,” said the BSP leader.
She went on to say that ever since she joined the BSP, the Opposition parties in the state had been very active in their attempt to bring her down, and had even made attempts on her life. She also alleged that the Samajawadi Party, which was in power earlier, had used all its power, the state machinery and also taken the help of the mafia to check her party’s rise.

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Haryana waives 5% VAT on kerosene
Chandigarh, June 26: Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday announced the decision of the state government to waive off the five per cent VAT on kerosene.
The decision to make kerosene VAT-free would make it cheaper by 70 paise per litre. Now the consumer will have to pay `14 per litre instead of `14.70 per litre. The VAT on LPG having already been waived in 2008, the waiver on kerosene makes Haryana a VAT-free state for there two key items. —PTI