New Delhi: Terming the Bharat Bandh called by upper caste and OBC groups against the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act an “electoral conspiracy”, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Friday said it was a bid by the BJP to divide people on caste lines ahead of the 2019 general elections.
The BJP is supporting such agitations to divert people’s attention from “burning” issues such as fuel price hike, she said in a statement here.
The BSP chief claimed that the law to prevent atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was never misused when the BSP was in power in the state.
Alleging that the BJP and the RSS were indulging in divisive politics, Ms Mayawati claimed that people from upper castes were given equal opportunities in jobs and employment when her party was in power in Uttar Pradesh.
Certain upper caste organisations had on Thursday called a one-day bandh to protest against the amendment to the Act. Parliament had passed the amendment bill last month, overturning the Supreme Court order barring arrests without a preliminary inquiry to avoid false implication of innocent persons under the Act.
