Mayawati attacks Congress over Muslims

Lucknow, Dec 18 (IBNS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Sunday attacked the Congress over the issue of Muslims saying that the latter had not done anything for the minority community in four decades of rule in the country, while herself promising to include the minorities in the 27 percent reservations for the OBC.

"The government of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is for including the backward Muslims under the OBC quota and for that Constitutional amendment is required," she said at a mega rally here.

She also tried to woo in the massive rally the Kshatriyas and Vaishyas, having opposed the FDI in retail.

Mayawati attacked the Congress on the minority issue relentlessly.

She said the Congress did not implement the recommendations of the Rajendra Sachar and Ranganath Misra committees on Muslim welfare and demanded their immediate implementation.

"The Congress has not done anything in their about 40 years of being in power. The Muslims lived under poor conditions under Congress and neither their lives nor their property and faith were secured," she said as special trains ferried crowds from Muslim dominated districts like Muzaffarnagar.

She said the minority of the region for the first time after 18 years gave her party a chance to form a government with complete mandate.

She urged the party workers and the Muslims to work hard and as birthday gift present her another full mandate to rule the state.

Muslims are an important constituent in the vote bank of any party since they make up 18 percent of the total electorate in the state.

Congress, which is desperate to get back UP, is also trying to woo the Muslims with promises of reservations.