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Lucknow, April 14: Addressing the first party programme after witnessing humiliating defeat in Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Friday accused the BJP of targeting her for raising a voice against alleged EVM tampering. She added that her party is not averse to shaking hands with other parties in her fight against the saffron party on the issue.
Addressing a party function on Ambedkar anniversary, she said, “I’m being targeted under a conspiracy so that I stop speaking on EVM tampering by the BJP…but I’m not going to withdraw from this fight to save democracy.”
“Our party will continue to fight against the tampering of EVMs by the BJP. For this BSP now has no reservations in taking the help of anti-BJP parties in its fight against EVM tampering and the BJP as it is the democracy which comes first…we have to keep democracy alive,” she said.
She added,”It is in the interest of the party that EVM tampering is checked at the earliest for which we are ready to use venom against venom.”
“The BJP gained power in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections by tampering EVMs…but we realised this only in the recent elections,” she said, adding that EVMs were tampered with in some 250 seats of 403 in the state. “On other seats they thought they will win anyway,” she said.
Addressing the first programme of her party after a dismal show in the recent Assembly elections, Mayawati, in a major announcement, also appointed her younger brother Anand Kumar as the party’s vice president.
“I have decided to give important responsibility to my brother Anand Kumar, that of party’s national vice president, with the condition that he will work selflessly and never become an MP, MLA, minister or chief minister,” she said.
Elaborating on the reasons for giving her brother this responsibility, Mayawati said as she has to spend maximum time in Lucknow she needed someone in Delhi for sharing her burden.
“I had to rush to Delhi every four to five days for signing papers but since our party constitution provides for same signing rights to the vice president, it will save party’s money,” she said.
Stressing that her brother will continue to do his business as before so that he is not dependent on anyone financially, she also allowed him to bring any other member of the family, having a missionary zeal, in the party fold.
Speaking for the first time before party workers on her medical condition which she said has forced her not to speak loudly. She said she has instead been advised to read written texts by doctors.
“One of the two glands on the throat was removed by doctors in an operation and so I cannot stress my throat too much,” Mayawati said she has to work very hard in first writing and then reading it whereas it is easy to speak extempore.
(With inputs from PTI)
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