Sushma Swaraj terms BSP stint in UP as a period of open misrule

Pratapgarh/ Etah, Feb 17 (ANI): Lashing out at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj has termed the regime of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) as a period of open misrule.

"If I have to state my analysis on the Uttar Pradesh government in one sentence, then I will say that there is a hue and a cry everywhere, crime is prevalent and power is openly misused. This is the true story of this government," Swaraj told a gathering in Pratapgarh

Swaraj also criticized Samajwadi Party (SP) party, saying that under Mulayam Singh Yadav's rule, criminals were free to do what they wanted at the expense of law abiding citizens.

"After sunset, it was impossible for women to go out of their homes. Honest citizens would hide in their homes, while criminals would roam freely, this was the state of affairs during the Samajwadi Party's rule," she said.

Meanwhile, Mayawati defended her BSP-led government, saying measures to tackle corruption had been implemented.

"Because of our party, many of those candidates won the elections, who for personal gains took to unfair practices and made every attempt to malign the image of our party and government, because of which our party took strict action against these people. We also denied them tickets for these polls," Mayawati told a gathering in Etah.

Mayawati also criticized the poverty alleviation programmes initiated by the Congress-led UPA government.

"The schemes started by the Central Government for poverty alleviation in Uttar Pradesh and other states have been ineffective even after many years of their implementation," she said.

The Uttar Pradesh polls are being viewed as an opportunity for major parties to re-establish their foothold in the country's fifth largest and most populous state. new 403-member state assembly will be elected in March. The poll results will broadly indicate trends for the 2014 general elections. (ANI)