Lucknow- In a strongly-worded statement issued on Monday, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) criticized both the BJP and Congress for engaging in what it termed as "politics of promises" while failing to address fundamental issues facing the nation.

BSP chief and former Chief Minister Mayawati, expressed deep concern over the state of affairs in the country, highlighting widespread poverty, unemployment, inflation, and inadequate basic infrastructure including agriculture, education, healthcare, roads, electricity, clean water, and law enforcement. She pointed out that despite these pressing issues, both major parties remain engrossed in mudslinging and making attractive promises ahead of the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections.

Key points

1. The BSP chief emphasized that while people are demanding jobs for liberation from life's struggles, major political parties continue to focus on distributing "freebies" and making hollow promises.

2. The statement highlighted the Congress government's alleged failure to fulfill electoral promises in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, while accusing BJP-led governments, including Uttar Pradesh's, of diverting attention from crucial issues through "jugaad politics" and religious programming rather than addressing public welfare concerns.

3. Mayawati underscored that unlike other parties, the BSP does not issue misleading election manifestos. Instead, it considers honest work towards the welfare of the poor, oppressed, and unemployed as its constitutional duty and political dharma.

   She cited BSP's four terms in Uttar Pradesh as evidence of their commitment to public welfare, claiming that their government provided more employment opportunities than subsequent SP and BJP governments combined.

Maywati concluded with a pointed question for both Congress and BJP: "Why make promises you don't intend to keep?" It emphasized that particularly during the upcoming Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections, people are justifiably demanding jobs rather than freebies.