Mayawati ruled out an alliance with both the NDA and INDIA.
New Delhi:
There is a question mark over who the president of the Bahujan Samaj Party Mayawati is and speculation that she has ties to the BJP, Sharad Pawar, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, said on Wednesday.
At a press conference ahead of the important meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) opposition party, which begins tomorrow in Mumbai, Mr Pawar was asked about the alliance’s views on Mayawati, which has declared itself neutral.
“There is a question about who Mayawati is with. It is speculated that she is with the BJP. I’m not saying that’s true, but that needs to be clear,” the NCP chief replied.
Mr Pawar’s comments come on a day when Mayawati ruled out any alliance with INDIA or the NDA. She said everyone would like an alliance with her party, but if she refuses, the opposition will accuse her of colluding with the BJP.
In a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, the BSP chief said both alliances are largely made up of parties with anti-poor, caste, community and capitalist policies. She said these are policies her party has been fighting against.
“As in 2007, the BSP will single-handedly contest the upcoming Lok Sabha and the four General Elections of the State Assembly by uniting millions of neglected/scattered members of society on the basis of mutual brotherhood rather than the manipulation of our opponents. The media shouldn’t do that. spreads misconceptions,” said the BSP chief.
1. I think it’s a good choice. Me, I think I’m okay I think I’ve done well I think I’ve done well I think I’ve done well ीं होता। I think I made a good choice
— Mayawati (@Mayawati) August 30, 2023
“Everyone would like an alliance with the BSP, but if I don’t, the opposition will claim that there is collusion with the BJP. If you ally with them you are secular and if you don’t you are an ally of the BJP. This is downright unfair and resembles the saying that the grapes are sour,” she wrote in Hindi.
The BSP and its bitter rival Samajwadi Party had announced an alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. While Mayawati’s party had managed to win ten seats in Uttar Pradesh, the Akhilesh Yadav-led party had won five.
Mayawati had ended the alliance with the SP shortly after the 2019 election, saying her party would contest future elections itself.
The Samajwadi Party is a member of the INDIA bloc.
