Mayawati's Swipe At BJP Over UP Polls: 'Ignored Farmers For 4.5 Years'

Lucknow: Lending support to a peaceful Bharat Bandh called by farmers against the centre's three farm laws, BSP president Mayawati on Monday alleged the Uttar Pradesh government increased cane support prices ahead of the assembly elections for "selfish" motives.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief termed the cabinet expansion of the Yogi Adityanath government in the state an effort to mobilise voters on the basis of caste and warned the electorate against such designs.

"The UP BJP government kept ignoring the farmers here for four and a half years and did not increase the support price of sugarcane, which I had pointed out during a conference of the enlightened classes in Lucknow on September 7. Now they have remembered sugarcane farmers just before elections which only shows their selfishness," she said in a tweet in Hindi.

"The entire farmer society is sad and troubled by the anti-farmer policies of the Centre and the UP government, but increasing the support price of sugarcane now to save face before the elections is not the right solution to the basic problem of farming. In such a situation, farmers are not going to fall for any of their designs," Mayawati said.

Yogi Adityanath announced a hike of ₹ 25 per quintal in the purchase prices of sugarcane in the state on Sunday, a day ahead of a Bharat Bandh called by farmer unions.

Mayawati has already extended support to the protest call.

On the state's cabinet expansion, the BSP president said, "Those who have been made ministers by the BJP to mobilise voters on the basis of caste in Uttar Pradesh should have declined it because by the time they are able to understand their respective ministries and want to do something, the model code of conduct would come into effect here."

Mayawati also alleged that the BJP government did not take concrete steps for the development of the classes which it had given representation in the ministry expansion and had only stopped the schemes brought by her government earlier for the purpose.

"The present BJP government has not taken any concrete steps for the development and uplift of their society, even most of the works started by the BSP government in their interests have also been stopped. It is an advice to these classes to be alert of the BJP's double standards," she said in a related tweet.

Yogi Adityanath on Sunday inducted seven ministers into his Council of Ministers, attempting to balance caste and regional aspirations.