Raashid Alvi slams Mayawati over her statement on Cong to give 40 pc tickets to women in UP assembly polls

Slamming the statement of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Congress' announcement of 40 per cent reservation for women in forthcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Congress leader Raashid Alvi on Wednesday said Mayawati is influenced by senior BJP leaders.

Earlier on Tuesday, BSP chief Mayawati termed the Congress announcement of 40 per cent reservation for women in forthcoming assembly polls as "election drama" and said the Congress-led UPA government had failed to get a law enacted for giving 33 per cent reservation to women in parliament and legislative assemblies.

Giving clarifications over the initiative taken by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Alvi said, "This is not a card, rather Congress wants to bring women forward. At the time of Congress governance, the party brought 33 per cent reservation for women in Rajya Sabha. But, BJP is still not able to bring this reservation to Lok Sabha. We only want to bring forward women in the state."

He further commented on Mayawati's statement and said that she is influenced by the senior BJP leaders. "Mayawati does not do anything on her own. She is influenced by the senior BJP leaders, whatever they tell her to do, she does."

On being asked whether the Congress party would be giving tickets to women in other states as well, Alvi said, "Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is the national level leader of Congress and this decision could be implemented in other states also."

The Congress party has decided that it will give 40 per cent of the total election tickets to women in the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

( With inputs from ANI )

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