Rebutting that the Bahujan Samaj Party was pursuing policies against upper-castes, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Wednesday said it was the UPA government that was against the section as it turned down the suggestion of the party to formulate a law aimed at benefiting them.
"Soon after we came to power, we recommended a law under which economically weaker sections even in upper castes could get reservation. But the Centre did not pay any heed," she said in a rally in Jammu.
"The day is not far when BSP will form the government and ensure reservation to upper caste poors," she said amid huge rounds of applause from the 10,000-strong crowd.
She said her party was not pursuing anti-upper caste policies.
"That is why we have fielded several upper caste candidates in Jammu and Kashmir," Mayawati said.
The BJP and the Congress have launched a campaign that the BSP is against the upper castes which is baseless and far from truth, she said. "We had fielded upper caste candidates in UP and later gave them top positions in ministries and bureaucracy."
Cautioning voters against the BJP and the Congress, she said both the parties worked for industrialists and big business houses and always cared for their interests by ignoring the plight of common masses.
Underlining achievements of her government in Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati asked the people in Jammu and Kashmir to help her set up BSP government in the state.
"The people of the state should help us set up government in J&K, which has not only ushered an era of development in UP, but also kept people of all religions and castes together," she said.