Bahujan Samaj Party President Mayawati on Sunday criticised both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress at a rally in Deoband town of Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh. The state has 80 seats in the Lok Sabha, and will vote in all seven phases of the General Elections, starting April 11.

“BJP will lose this election because of policies inspired by hatred, especially their ‘chowkidar’ campaign,” Mayawati said at the rally, jointly organised by the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal. “No matter how much the chhote, bade chowkidars try, the BJP will not win.” The chiefs of the SP and RLD, Akhilesh Yadav and Ajit Singh were also present at the event. This is the alliance’s first joint rally.

Mayawati said that the BJP will not come to power, unless it rigs the election process. She added that the ruling government was “misusing the Pulwama attack” for votes.

Mayawati added that minorities were suffering under the BJP government, PTI reported. “Even people from backward communities are suffering,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said. “The divisive thought process of these parties are hurting these communities. At the Centre or state level, reservation issue for these communities was ignored. They are being exploited. Minorities are also suffering.”

The Congress, despite ruling for several years, has failed, Mayawati added. “Our government, instead of giving minimum income support [which is the Congress’ plan], will give employment to poor people. Indira Gandhi too made a 20-point programme to remove poverty, but was it effective?” she asked.

Mayawati said her party cadres were silent workers. “Our party performs without making noise,” she added. “The Congress has been making tall claims, haven’t they been given enough chances for decades? They were wiped out from several states. The Nyay scheme is not a stable solution for removing poverty.”

The BSP chief added that both the BJP and the Congress were plagued by corruption. “The Congress was tainted by bofors. BJP government is tainted by Rafale,” she said, adding that the BJP government has been “misusing investigating agencies” such as the CBI and the ED against its rivals.

She added that the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax regime and demonetisation caused huge job losses. “You don’t need to give another chance to them,” Mayawati said. “The parties have already been given enough chances.”

Mayawati pointed out that several of the BJP’s poll promises were still not fulfilled, and said the ground realities cannot be ignored. “BJP will keep endorsing its hawa-hawai [lofty] schemes till the poll results are announced. Thousands of crores have been wasted, that’s taxpayers money [which could have been] used for the poor,” she said. “If the prime minister was serious about welfare of poor, they would not have been inaugurating schemes after poll dates were announced. They would have performed in five years of tenure.” She claimed that the Centre’s announcements in the last budget were “empty poll promises.

“Now that BJP is panicking, you should know BJP is on its way out and grand alliance will arrive,” Mayawati added.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also attacked both the BJP and the Congress at the rally. “There is not much difference in Congress and BJP, if you will look at their policies,” he said. “They are both same. This grand alliance is meant to bring change in the country, but Congress party doesn’t want that, it wants to form government in UP.”

RLD’s Ajit Singh accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lying to people over jobs and poverty eradication schemes. “His parents never taught him to speak the truth,” Singh said, adding that he has not done anything in five years. “Modi wasn’t talking about your acche din, but his own achche din.”