Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Tuesday took a strong position on the ongoing agriculture crisis in the country and slammed the centre for not structuring a government policy to waive off small farmers loan.

Mayawati said around 70 percent of farmers are opting for private money lenders, "The ground reality of the agrarian dimension is that small farmers continue to opt for private money lenders and loans from private banks."

Newly-elected governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh announced farm loan waivers immediately after Congress emerged victorious in the recently concluded assembly elections.

Attacking Congress over farm loan waiver announcement, she said, "Congress has ruled for the longest in the history of the country, but has failed to live to the expectations of the people. The poor, backward classes and the minorities, she says, have not got their due development."

"Forget past differences and ensure victory of all joint candidates of the SP and the BSP. This will be my ideal birthday gift," Mayawati said at a press conference in Lucknow on the her 63rd birthday.

On Saturday, the BSP and the SP announced an alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections to unitedly fight the BJP. The SP and the BSP have decided on a 50-50 seat-sharing deal under which each party will contest 38 seats. Both parties will leave two seats for the smaller parties.

Uttar Pradesh has 80 Lok Sabha seats.

The parties, however, will not contest in Amethi and Rae Bareli, represented by Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi respectively.

The 'gathbandhan' has kept the Congress out of the alliance.

(With inputs from PTI)