Kumari Mayawati, Bahujan Samaj Party National President, Chief Minister of Uttar Pardesh, BSP National President, Bahujan Samaj Party Leader, BSP Leader, Bahujan Samaj Party, iron lady kumari mayawati, iron lady, Honourable Sister

KUMARI MAYAWATI

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) or Majority People's Party is one of the only five prominent national political parties of India, which is the largest democracy of the world.

• Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh (Fourth-time)

• National President, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)

• Member of Uttar Pardesh Legislative Council

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NEWS & EVENTS

BSP TO OPPOSE TEMPLE AT DISPUTED SITE

THE HINDU, Date :15-09-2003

JAIPUR SEPT. 14. The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader, Mayawati, today said her party would oppose any move to construct a temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya on the basis of the findings of the Archaeological Survey of India after the recent digging.

"The evidence does not mean that they can forcibly construct a temple there. The BSP would oppose it," Mayawati said addressing the party's "Swabhiman Maha rally" here which marked the launch of the BSP election campaign in Rajasthan. "The party continues to hold the view it had while in power in Uttar Pradesh. The courts will decide the matter," she said.

"We will not let anything happen which would make the Muslim community feel that injustice has been done to them," Ms. Mayawati said. Even while in power in Uttar Pradesh with the help of the BJP the BSP had made this clear, she said. "I had told the BJP leaders all the three times I assumed power in Uttar Pradesh that ours was not an alliance of ideology."

It was Ms. Mayawati's first visit to the State after relinquishing power in Uttar Pradesh and the crowds--though not too small going by the BSP presence in the State-- were nowhere near the projected figure of lakhs. In her 90- minute speech, the BSP leader tried to explain the ideology of the party, list the achievements of her Government in Uttar Pradesh and to spell out BSP's reservation policy in the context of Rajasthan.

Ms. Mayawati also indicated that she was apprehensive of harassment at the behest of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance Government(NDA). "I am not afraid. Let them resort to any cheap tactics. Even if I am sent to jail I will continue my struggle for bahujan samaj from there as well," she said.

Ms. Mayawati, in her speech, also touched upon the aspects of her quitting power in Uttar Pradesh and termed the new Government there, led by Mulayam Singh Yadav as "goonda raj". "The rule of law has ended in U.P. I never allowed such jungle raj while in power," she said.

Explaining the reason for quitting in Uttar Pradesh, Ms. Mayawati said she had to give up power for "keeping her self respect intact". "When the BJP tried to pressurize me I thought it was better to leave the chair than to lower one's self esteem," she said. "Self respect is everything. As a representative of bahujan samaj I could not have let anyone lower my self esteem," she asserted.

Mayawati alleged that the decisions taken by the previous government in the interest of the "bahujan samaj" like keeping a quota for SC, ST, OBC and minorities in the police stations were being reversed by the present regime in U.P.

The BSP formula for reservations spelt out by Mayawati was bifurcation of existing quota for the backwards, a place in the ST list for the Gujjars and 15 per cent reservation on the basis of economic status for the upper castes. "The BSP is not against any caste or religion. It is not a party representing Dalits alone as mistaken by many. The party is against the manuwadi attitude. It stands for social equality," she said.