Mayawati seeks ban on temple visits

Lucknow:Bahujan Samaj Party President Mayawati on Tuesday asked the Election Commission to include the expenses of roadshows in the candidates account and ban temple visits.

She said that holding roadshows and visiting temples have become a 'fashion' during elections and a huge amount of money is spent on this.

She demanded that media should be banned from covering these roadshows and temple visits.

Mayawati said that this was a clear violation of the model code of conduct and the leaders who take part in such activities should be banned from campaigning.

The BSP chief is one of the few leaders who has never held a roadshow in her entire political career. Even the BSP candidates are not allowed to hold roadshows in their constituencies.

She said that people know the ground reality and she can sense the change in thinking of people.

"Even the RSS seems to have stopped supporting the BJP in the middle of elections and 'swayamsevaks' (RSS volunteers) are no longer seen working in the field," she pointed out.