It's anti-people: Mayawati on rail fare hike
Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, the BSP chief said, 'As it is known that when most of the people of the country are suffering and unhappy due to hunger, inflation, poverty, unemployment and decrease in income, the increase in the train fare in the country by the Centre in such a situation seems to be a decision taken against the general public interest.'
Mayawati alleged that the practice of increasing the exploitation of the common man by increasing the burden on their daily life through railways just like GST in the name of 'Nation First' was extremely unfair.
'It would be better if the government reconsiders it immediately,' she said. 'For crores of people here, the train journey is not a fashion, pleasure or tourism, rather it is a very painful journey and compulsion due to the increasing poverty, inflation, acute shortage of respectable permanent employment in the country, compulsion to leave their homes and migrate to feed the family,' she claimed.
The government should not adopt a commercial approach towards them but treat them with sympathy and welfare, she said and added this has been everyone's expectation.
'Therefore, instead of worrying only for its own benefit and for a handful of rich and prosperous people, the government should take proper care of the crores of people of the country who are yearning to live a life of self-respect,' Mayawati said.
'Around 95 crore people in the country have been forced to become beneficiaries of at least one social welfare scheme of the government. Due to this, the number of such helpless people has increased to about 64.3 per cent in the current year 2025, whereas in 2016 this number was only about 22 per cent,' the BSP chief alleged.
Attacking the BJP government in Delhi, she alleged that it was adopting an anti-people attitude of ruthlessly displacing the poor and those who migrate from other states, especially from UP, Bihar and Bengal for livelihood, without making any other arrangements.
'Their slums are being demolished so ruthlessly that it is very sad and shameful,' she alleged, stressing that the Delhi government says it is following the court's order.
But, the honourable court did not say that you should displace them without making any other arrangements. The court has definitely said you should remove them but the court did not say that you should not make any other arrangements for them, she said.
'It is the responsibility of the government to first make alternative arrangements to settle them before removing their slums,' Mayawati added.
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There will be talks of discrimination, accusations, and counter-accusations. Nothing more should be expected. Shankar Sharan is a columnist and professor of political science. He tweets @hesivh. Views are personal. (Edited by Theres Sudeep)
