Lucknow, Feb 18 (PTI) Former Lok Sabha MP Udit Raj hit out at Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, saying her party's "political strength remained intact for a long time" despite her "misbehaviour, corruption and greed".

He also said that the "Muslim community is going through the same phase today as the Dalits were in a bad condition once".

Speaking to reporters in Lucknow on Monday, Raj said, "After the 1980s, Kanshiram ji started Bahujan awakening in Uttar Pradesh, which reached its peak in the 2000s. Even though the movement culminated in politics, the thinking and basis has been social justice. Other political parties start with politics and end with it, but this was not the case with Bahujan Samaj Party." Attacking Mayawati, he said, "Despite Ms. Mayawati's cruelty and incompetence, the workers and voters kept fighting. The houses of the workers were sold, their children could not get education and they were treated cruelly, yet they kept on struggling to bring Bahujan Raj. Lakhs of workers who believe in Phule, Shahu, Ambedkar are going through a phase of despair. Some have set up small organizations at their own level but their thinking is not dead." The former Lok Sabha MP from North West Delhi also said, "The Muslim community is going through the same phase today as the Dalits were in a bad condition once. The Muslim community cannot fight the situation alone. Dalits are also not capable alone. Whenever the Muslim community raises its problem, its outcome is converted into communalism." He added that on December 1, 2024, the first rally of DOMA Parisangh was held at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan in which the demand to save the Waqf Board was raised.

The former Lok Sabha MP currently heads the Dalit, OBC, Minorities and Adivasi (DOMA) Parisangh.

Urging the Ambedkarites to come together, he said, "The so-called Ambedkarites could not even break the caste system, at least stop casteism and caste organization. Till when will you keep gathering people by speaking against Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas. Today's need is to change yourself. Hindus are united by speaking against Muslims and Dalit-backward classes by criticizing upper castes. Stop following this path." "Lord Gautam Buddha had said - Atta Deepo Bhava. It means that change your own thinking. Dalits and backward classes want the upper castes to change themselves, but they should keep doing casteism among themselves," he added.

Commenting on organisations of the Bahujans, he said, "Till now the organisations of Bahujans formed have been based on individuals and castes. The population is 85 per cent, but do all classes have a share in the organisation from top to bottom? Those running the organisation appoint people of their own caste and their friends to important positions and say that they are doing the welfare of Bahujans." "In the organizational structure of DOMA Parisangh, it will be mandatory to have four people - one Dalit, one OBC, one Muslim and one Adivasi at every level. Bahujan is not just in name, but will have to be shown by action," he added.

The former Lok Sabha MP further said it has been decided to hold six conferences in Jhansi, Banda, Shravasti, Kanpur, Meerut and Azamgarh in the coming days.

Udit Raj was a Lok Sabha MP between 2014 and 2019, representing North West Delhi as a member of the BJP, but left the party after its first term.

He is the former deputy commissioner, joint commissioner and additional commissioner of Income Tax at New Delhi. He later joined the Congress in 2019.

On November 24, 2003, he resigned from the government service and formed the Indian Justice Party. He merged the Indian Justice Party with the BJP in February 2014. PTI NAV AS AS AS