Mayawati lashes out at BJP, says UP Cabinet extension aimed at mobilising caste votes

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati lashed out at the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government, accusing it of trying to "mobilise votes" based on caste by inducting new ministers into Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's Cabinet, months before the state votes to elect a new government. 

Taking to Twitter, the BSP chief warned Uttar Pradesh voters about the "dual character" of the state's government, alleging that not only has the BJP-led government failed to take any concrete steps for the development of the sections that the BJP is allegedly trying to appease by inducting new ministers to the UP CAbinet but it has also halted projects that were promised during her administration in the state. 

"Whoever has been made a minister by BJP yesterday to mobilise votes on the basis of caste in UP, it would have been better if they did not accept it. Because by the time they will understand their respective ministries and try to do something, the code of conduct for election will be implemented here," Mayawati wrote in her tweet.

"While the present BJP government has not taken any concrete steps for the development and upliftment of these sections of society, but most of the works started by the BSP government in their interests have also been stopped. Advice to these classes to be careful with this double-character of their's (government)," BSP the leader added.

7 ministers inducted into UP Cabinet

On Sunday, seven new ministers were sworn in as members of the Uttar Pradesh cabinet, ahead of Assembly elections scheduled for early next year.  The move is being seen as an attempt to correct the caste balance by giving more representation to the most backward castes in the UP Cabinet before the state goes to poll next year.

Apart from Jitin Prasada, a Brahmin who resigned from the Congress in June,  Dharmveer Prajapati, Chhatrapal Gangawar, Sangita Balwant Bind, Paltu Ram, Dinesh Khatik, and Sanjeev Kumar Gond were appointed to the state Cabinet. While Prasada was made a minister, the other six were appointed as ministers of state (MoS). 

Among them, Dharmveer Prajapati, Chhatrapal Gangawar, and Sangita Balwant Bind are from the OBC community, Paltu Ram and Dinesh Khatik represent the scheduled caste (SC) community and Sanjeev Kumar Gond belongs to the Gond community.

Massive changes in BJP-ruled states

After Gujarat, Karnataka, and Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh is the fourth BJP-ruled state to undergo big changes in its cabinet. Bhupendra Patel was sworn in as Gujarat's new chief minister earlier this month, succeeding Vijay Rupani. Following that, the entire Gujarat cabinet was reshuffled.

The BJP has had three chief ministers in Uttarakhand. Tirath Singh Rawat took over as CM after Trivendra Singh Rawat resigned. However, Pushkar Singh Dhami was later appointed in his place. In July, BS Yediyurappa was replaced in Karnataka chief minister by Basavaraj Bommai.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: PTI)