PM Modi 'two steps ahead' for calling Gorakhpur tragedy 'natural calamity': Mayawati

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "two steps ahead" of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Amit Shah as he called the Gorakhpur BRD Medical College tragedy a "natural calamity".

"BJP president Amit Shah in Bangalore had recently said that the Gorakhpur tragedy, where more than 90 children died, a common happening in India, but this wasn't it as Prime Minister Modi in his speech at the Red Fort yesterday, a natural calamity."

She further said that this was a sad and shocking thing to say.

"People of India should now realise that the thinking of BJP MLAs is so wrong and distorted," Mayawati said.

Emphasising further on the incident, the BSP supremo said, "The Gorakhpur tragedy happened due to negligence and corruption, but the Prime Minister at the Red Fort, by calling it a natural calamity, has tried to save his party, and has done a big deed for nation."

The BSP supremo said that both Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have, in their political "arrogance", behaved in an egoistic manner to which she said that "we condemn this kind of attitude, because it doesn't seem like the BJP is going to improve in its constituency and we need to make sure that this kind of carelessness doesn't happen again."

Mayawati also said that Prime Minister Modi's facts are unique as they are far away from the reality.

She also claimed that Prime Minister Modi's government has not done anything for the poor, the working class, the farmers, youth, unemployed and women.

"But on the other hand this government has increased casteism, and due to their hidden agenda, narrow and communal policies have taken the nation in the wrong direction and the situation instead of improving is diminishing," Mayawati said.

She further said that through Prime Minister Modi's government the fight against corruption has gone hollow which is "well known" by the people of India.

Mayawati also said that she wants the Lok Sabha elections, which were to take place in 2019, to happen at the end of 2018.

Earlier on 12 August, dubbing the Gorakhpur Hospital deaths as 'extremely painful', Mayawati on Saturday strongly condemned the BJP for the tragic deaths.

Earlier in July Mayawati, whose term as the member of the Rajya Sabha was to end in April 2018, walked out of the Upper House of the Parliament alleging that the she was not allowed to speak on the atrocities against the Dalits in Uttar Pradesh. 

-ANI