Mayawati slams UP govt over setting up of Ambedkar memorial, calls it 'deception' before Assembly elections

BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday alleged that laying the foundation stone for memorial and cultural centre in Lucknow in the name of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar is "gross deception" by the BJP government before state Assembly elections due next year.

Taking to Twitter, the former chief minister said that the state government neglected Dr Ambedkar and harassed his followers during its tenure.

"After neglecting Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and harassing his crores of exploited-victim followers during their tenure, now as the assembly elections are nearing, the foundation stone laying of 'Cultural Centre' in the name of Baba Saheb is if not drama then what it is?" Mayawati tweeted.

In another tweet, she said: "BSP is not against setting up of any centre etc. in the name of Param Pujya Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar, but now doing all this for the sake of electoral interest is a gross deception. If the UP government had done this work earlier, then Rashtrapatiji would have been inaugurating this centre today, not just laying the foundation stone."

Earlier in the day, President Ramnath Kovind, who is currently in Uttar Pradesh, laid the Foundation Stone of 'Bharat Ratna Dr Bhimrao Memorial and Cultural Centre, Lucknow'.

"President Kovind paid floral tributes to Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and laid the Foundation Stone of 'Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhimrao Memorial and Cultural Centre, Lucknow' in a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan Auditorium, Lucknow," the Rashtrapati Bhavan tweeted.

( With inputs from ANI )

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