Will Varanasi be a repeat of Rae Bareli in 1977, wonders Mayawati

A day before polling in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, BSP supremo Mayawati on Saturday wondered if Varanasi would be a repeat of Rae Bareli in 1977 when maverick politician Raj Narain defeated Indira Gandhi. Mayawati suggested the possibility on her Twitter handle, accusing the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh for ignoring the development of the state's eastern region.

"Poorvanchal faced non-fulfilment of promises and betrayal, when the prime minister and UP chief minister are representing it," she said.

“Gorakhpur has rejected Yogi (Adityanath). Will the defeat of PM Modi not become more historic than his win? Will Varanasi repeat Rae Bareli-1977?" Mayawati tweeted in Hindi.

Though she did not elaborate on the context, the apparent reference was to post-Emergency general election when, Indira Gandhi had got 1,22,517 votes and lost to Raj Narain who bagged 1,77,719 votes in the electoral battle in Rae Bareli.

The Bahujan samaj Party chief also derided the "Gujarat Model of development".

"The Gujarat model of PM Modi has been unsuccessful in removing the extreme poverty, unemployment and backwardness of the UP's Poorvanchal, which is a gross 'vadaakhilaafi' (non-fulfilment of promise)," she said.

"The double-engine government of Modi-Yogi has given casteist and communal hatred and violence to the country instead of any development, which is extremely sad," she added.

The BSP chief, while extending her greetings on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti.