'Shamshaan-Kabristaan' row: Mayawati lashes out at PM Modi for spewing venom

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Feb. 21 (ANI): Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi sparked a controversy by comparing the number of cremation grounds with that of the graveyards in Uttar Pradesh, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Tuesday fired fresh salvos at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging them to resorting to 'anti-secular' politics in order to win the polls. The Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh have become a battle of wits and one-liners rather than action-oriented schemes for the development of the state, as a day after re-christening Prime Minister Modi as 'Negative Dalit Man', Mayawati instituted another strike at the BJP-led Central Government, citing the saffron party has brought the politics in India to the lowest levels possible. She even questioned the BJP if there was enough count of burial grounds in the states where they are in power. "Uttar Pradesh borders Madhya Pradesh in the south and Haryana in the north. These states have the BJP in power. So, they should tell us if every village of every state where the BJP is in power, has a cremation ground. The BJP should first go and establish a cremation ground in every village of every state where they rule, and then talk of Uttar Pradesh," she said. "The BSP has been in power in the state four times, and every time we have ensured that every religion, every caste in the state is respected. We also ensured that on every festival, irrespective of which religion or caste celebrates it," she added. Continuing her tirade, she reiterated what the Congress and the Samajwadi Party have already said many times -- that it's unbecoming of Prime Minister's post to issue such controversial statements, adding Prime Minister Modi was trying to give the whole polling process a communal spin. "The BJP has brought politics to its lowest level possible in the country and I don't think it is correct. It is the most communal party in the whole country. Had it not been so casteist, the Rohit Vemulla case would not have happened in Hyderabad. Why don't the other communities face the same issue? Why do only the Dalits have to suffer? Not only is the BJP communal, it is anti-secular too," she said. "Narendra Modi should respect the dignity of the post he is at. It's so unbecoming of a Prime Minister to spew venom over this issues. The BJP is now resorting to dirty politics in order to win the polls, a politics which is based on lies and false facts," she added. Mayawati also remarked that since she was sure that the BSP was going to establish majority in the assembly, the BJP and the SP-Congress alliance have relegated themselves to fight each other in order to secure the second spot in the polls. "The BJP and the Congress are fighting each other, primarily for the second spot in the elections. Today, when the campaigning for the fourth phase ends in the state, Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav are holding a road show. So is BJP president Amit Shah. They are trying to battle out just each other," she said. Prime Minister Modi had lambasted the Akhilesh Yadav-led government by drawing a parallel between Hindu and Muslim festivals, accusing the local administration of discrimination on the basis of religion. (ANI)