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'BSP will launch a strong movement'

Pointedly blaming Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi for the United Progressive Alliance's government's nod to Foreign Direct Investment in retail, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati made it clear on Saturday that she would oppose the move tooth and nail.
 
"The Bahujan Samaj Party will launch a strong movement against the policy in case the UPA government manages to get the approval of Parliament," she declared at a press conference.
 
"The Union government's decision to allow FDI in retail in India was clearly prompted by Rahul, who is only interested in extending certain benefits to his foreigner friends through this new policy," Mayawati said.

Reportage: Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow

'UPA can't afford to displease Rahul's friends'

While referring to Rahul as the yuvraj (prince), she claimed, "Since this yuvraj has spent the larger part of his life in foreign land, where he also has a large number of friends, he has found FDI in retail as one way of extending favours to them."
 
She alleged, "People in the Congress-led UPA government cannot afford to displease Rahul's friends who are looking forward to reaping benefits from this FDI move."
 
She went on to add, "The move was part of the gimmick that  this Congress prince has been playing  on the eve of the 2012 state assembly elections, though his real intention was to hand over this state to giant companies owned by his foreigner friends".

'His sense of dressing is like that of foreigners'

Flaying the Congress general secretary, she said, "The Congress prince spends a brief while in India and then buzzes off on foreign jaunts. And because he has been brought up and educated abroad largely, his sense of dressing is also like that of foreigners. Whenever he comes to UP, he brings along with him some of his foreigner friends, who are also taken to the homes of common people, whose poverty they make fun of."
 
Demanding "immediate withdrawal of the policy", Mayawati warned, "If the Union government dares to go ahead with this policy, BSP will be compelled to take certain extreme steps."