Lucknow:
Accusing BJP and Congress of playing politics over Ayodhya, BSP supremo Mayawati on Sunday urged the Supreme Court to take strong action against them to protect secularism and demanded a ban on RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal.
"As the Lok Sabha elections are approaching, parties especially Congress and BJP playing politics of passion. The way in which both the party leaders visited Faizabad to woo Hindu and Muslim votes proves it.
"Such things affect secularism in the country. The Supreme Court should take suo-motu cognisance of it and direct strict action against them as their attitude is hurting the roots of secularism," Mayawati told reporters here.
She said, "In our country in the name of religion or to give importance to one religion, several prominent organisations like RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal are active and the Supreme Court keeping in view the Constitution should put a ban on the them."
The BSP supremo alleged organisations like RSS are indulging in "dirty politics behind the curtains on the basis of religion which is against the spirit of the Constitution" and so they should also be proscribed.
"These organisations decide the strategy, direction and even the names of Prime Minister and Chief Ministers of BJP," Mayawati alleged.
The remarks came in the backdrop of the visits of BJP UP incharge Amit Shah and Congress general secretary incharge of the state Madhusudan Mistry to Ayodhya and Faizabad respectively.
Shah had offered prayers at the makeshift temple in Ayodhya and hoped that a grand Ram temple would be built there while Mistry had charged BJP with remembering the Ayodhya issue only at the time of elections.
Referring to the Allahabad High Court order against caste based rallies, Mayawati defended such events saying her party had organised them not to divide the people on caste basis, but to create brotherhood so that when BSP forms the government all sections get a chance to progress. "It should have been appreciated instead of being criticised."
On the apex court decision disallowing a person, who is in jail or in police custody, from contesting elections, Mayawati said that it could be misused and her party was not in its favour.
"My party is not in favour of preventing those in jail from contesting polls. The decision can be misused. The Centre should go for an appeal in this regard", she said.
Mayawati said that social structure of the country was caste based and emerged from system of inequality.
"The downtrodden were kept as slaves on the basis of socio-economic and educational basis, therefore Dr Ambedkar made provision of reservation in the Constitution," she said.
Mayawati said that as objections were being raised on the manner of the campaign, it was being changed.
"Now the party would organise social brotherhood rallies and sammelans in the name of Sarvsamaj, but the party will not stop from its campaign," she said. She said that BSP's objective was to create an equitable society.
"In that sense BSP is a social organisation first and a political party later. It is for social change and the effort will continue till the time the goal to establish an equalitarian society is not achieved," she said.
