Will take steps to make west UP separate state if voted to power at Centre: Mayawati
Muzaffarnagar (UP), Apr 14: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday said her party will take concrete steps to make western Uttar Pradesh a separate state if voted to power at the Centre.
Addressing a rally here in support of the BSP's candidate from the Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha seat Dara Singh Prajapati, Mayawati also said the BJP has a very slim chance of coming to power again.
"You want western Uttar Pradesh to become a separate state. For this, concrete steps will be taken if our government comes to power at the Centre," Mayawati told the gathering.
The BSP chief said if free and fair elections are held and voting machines are not tampered with, the BJP will not return to power this time.
"Most of the BJP's time was spent on making wealthy businessmen wealthier and protecting them... The BJP and other parties run their organisations and contest elections with the support of these businesses. This was revealed by electoral bond data," she added.
The former chief minister hit out at the BJP government for not recruiting people for vacant posts reserved for backward communities and making reservations in promotion redundant.
"In the last few years, with the BJP in power at the Centre and in most states, the progress of Muslims has stopped to a great extent. Violence in the name of religion has increased here," Mayawati said, adding that poor people of the general category have also not received any benefits under the BJP's rule.
Prajapati is pitted against Sanjeev Kumar Balyan of the BJP and Harendra Singh Malik of the Samajwadi Party (SP).
Before her rally here, Mayawati also addressed a public meeting in Saharanpur district.
The eight parliamentary constituencies of Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh will vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls on April 19.
The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
The BS fought the 2019 Lok Sabha election in alliance with the SP and managed to secure victory on 10 seats.
The party has decided to go solo this time. The SP, Congress and the All India Trinamool Congress are contesting as part of the INDIA bloc and the BJP, Apna Dal (S), NISHAD party and the SBSP are part of the NDA alliance.
Uttar Pradesh has 80 Lok Sabha seats, the highest for any state in the country.
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Karnataka: College student dies by suicide in Dharwad, 3 policemen suspended
Dharwad (Karnataka) (PTI): A college student allegedly died by suicide here, following which three policemen were suspended over allegations of harassment linked to his death by the victim's family.
Aditya Myageri, a BSc student at a private college here, was among 18 students detained by the Vidyagiri police on April 25 during an anti-drug drive, police said on Wednesday.
He hailed from Belur village in Bagalkot district, but was staying with his friends at a rented accommodation in Girinagar area of Dharwad city, police said.
Among the 18 students tested, Aditya was among the 10 who had tested negative for ganja consumption and was subsequently released.
Some of his roommates, however, tested positive.
According to police, Aditya's family alleged that despite testing negative, he was harassed by police. They also claimed some policemen demanded Rs 2,000 to settle the matter and threatened legal action if he failed to pay.
He had called his mother asking for money, but she could not arrange it immediately, the family claimed.
On Monday night, Aditya allegedly died by suicide by hanging from a ceiling fan at his rented accommodation, with his family alleging police harassment and pressure over demand for money drove him to the extreme step, a senior police officer said.
Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar told PTI that an unnatural death case has been registered at Vidyagiri police station. Three policemen have been suspended over the allegations, and further investigation is underway.
