Mayawati, Rahul War

Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkar Nagar became a political battlefield on Ambedkar Jayanti with Mayawati and Rahul Gandhi holding rallies at the same spot fighting for the attention of the massive Dalit vote bankin the state.

While Bahuja Samajwadi Party (BSP) supremo accused the Congressof ignoring Dalit leaders, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi attacked the state government for not working towards the welfare of the people.

Stating that neither she not her party would bow down to the criticism against the memorials and the statues built for Dalit leaders, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, "The anti-Dalit and anti-Ambedkar mentality of opposition parties can be seen today in the stiff opposition to the BSP, which follows Ambedkar's ideology...It is because of this that the issue of memorials and parks was under severe criticism and was also dragged to courts."

All through her address Mayawati made use of the statues as an icon or rather a physical manifestation of her party's commitment towards Dalit leaders and the Dalit community while slamming those who opposed the memorials.

Rahul Gandhi, on the other hand, lashed out at the UP government for ignoring the people and pormoted the schemes such as the NREGA taken up by the central government for the welfare of the country.

“Crores of rupees have been sent to state for implementing various welfare schemes meant for the uplift of the poor but it failed to reach the towns and villages where it should have been spent,” he said, hinting at the misuse of funds by Mayawati government.

“The state of Uttar Pradesh has not gained anything from the politics of religion and caste in the past thirty years and now it’s high time that the youth take charge of affairs here,” he added, concluding that Congress will tirelessly pursue its objective of providing job, employment to every one.