Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati fire joint salvo at Modi: BJP using Kabir’s name to play vote-bank politics

“What happened is the exact opposite. Along with law and order, and the situation of their welfare and development is deteriorating,” she claimed. The former chief minister said it was the BSP that had made a separate Sant Kabir Nagar. “The all-round development of Purvanchal is not possible without carving out a separate Purvanchal state. A proposal, already passed by BSP in Vidhan Sabha, is pending at the Centre. The Narendra Modi government should delay no more in taking strong action in the matter,” she said, adding that the welfare of people cannot just depend on making academies.

“The Sant Kabir Academy was made at the expenditure of Rs 24 crore. BJP spent nearly the same amount on advertising, preparation and organisation of the programme. This is an anti-people example of less work and more talk,” claimed. Meanwhile, Akhilesh said the Maghar programme was an attempt by the BJP to make “crores of Kabir followers their votebank”, and get the support of weavers and extremely backward communities.

“The BJP’s politics and programmes revolve around power. BJP and Sangh will do anything to get power in 2019. They do not consider right or wrong, ethical or unethical. They do not even hesitate to ignite chaos based on caste and religion and spread terror among the people,” the SP chief said.

“Saint Kabir Das always attacked the evils in society. He always attacked the powers that divided people in the name of mandir-masjid and religion…BJP hates all this and they do the poisonous business of hate and communalism. It is a matter of shame that in the name of honouring Kabir Das, BJP used the 500th death anniversary of the poet and saint to attack the Opposition, mainly the SP,” he added. Akhilesh further said that his party believes in the courts and wants the rule of law, but BJP avoids the Constitution and is habitually weakening constitutional bodies.