Mayawati dumps Congress ahead of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh polls, says party wants to 'destroy BSP'

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Wednesday said her party would contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan alone and accused the Congress of trying to “destroy” BSP through a mahagathbandhan (grand alliance). [caption id=“attachment_4404181” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of BSP chief Mayawati. PTI[/caption] The BSP chief said there was no truth to rumours of the her party trying to ruin plans of a grand alliance . “The truth is that the Congress, through this mahagathbandhan, wants to destroy BSP. This means that the Congress, despite support from the Dalits and backward sections of the society, has a casteist and communal mindset like BJP. It has not worked for development for these sections of the society,” Mayawati said at a press conference. Mayawati also added that Rahul and Sonia Gandhi were ready for an “acceptable alliance” but other Congress leaders were unwilling. “Congress leaders like Digvijaya Singh do not wish for a Congress-BSP alliance. They are afraid of agencies like ED and CBI,” ANI quoted Mayawati as saying. “Digvijaya, who is also a BJP agent, is giving statements that Mayawati ji is under a lot of pressure from the Centre, so she doesn’t want this alliance. This is baseless,” she added. The BSP chief made it clear that her party will fight the upcoming elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh either on its own or with local parties’ support. “Our party will not fight any elections with Congress at any cost,” she said. “BSP will fight elections in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh alone. BSP has also decided to fight upcoming Chhattisgarh polls with local parties,” Mayawati said. “I am saying these things so that Congress leaders know fully well that BSP is a party that has come out of the principle of equality, which focuses on the benefit of the backward sections of the society,” she said. “The truth is that the Congress is scared of BJP and is scared of giving Muslim candidates a ticket to the election. But BSP does not do this,” the BSP chief added. She said the Congress entered into an alliance with JD(S) in Karnataka out of fear of the BJP. “Congress’ objective is not to defeat BJP but to target its allies… Congress is facing the results of its actions but is not improving its policies,” she also said. “Congress’ arrogance knows no bounds. They say that they will defeat BJP on their own. But the ground reality is that the people have punished the Congress and are not ready to forgive them. This is why BJP took advantage of this fact and is in power across many states today. And it is spreading politics of hatred based on casteism and communalism,” she further said. “BSP has always supported Congress to avoid the casteist and communal politics of BJP. But Congress has instead betrayed BSP,” Mayawati said, adding that she fully understood the importance of a grand alliance against BJP. “Earlier polls tell us that if BJP actually competes with Congress alone, it will succeed in forming a government easily,” said the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, adding that “the entire country knows that many votes of BSP are transferred to a party entering into an alliance with it.” In response to Mayawati’s remarks, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said that if Mayawati had “absolute trust” in Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, “other creases can be ironed out”.

At times,out of emotions,sweet&bitter things are said. But at last,if Mayawati ji holds absolute trust in Rahul Gandhi&Sonia Gandhi then other creases can be ironed out:Randeep Surjewala,Congress on Mayawati’s statement on issue of Congress-BSP alliance in upcoming assembly polls pic.twitter.com/R4s7reqXgI

— ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2018

“I don’t think alliances are formed at press conferences,” the Congress leader further said.