Mayawati Hits Back at Rahul Gandhi; Asks him to Worry About Congress

GG News Bureau

Lucknow, 11^th April. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday rejected Rahul Gandhi’s claim that she had rejected an alliance offer from Congress party during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, asking Rahul to worry about his own party instead of worrying about other parties.

Rahul Gandhi had on Saturday claimed that the Congress reached out to the BSP chief, offering her the chief minister’s post for contesting the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections together, but she did not respond.

Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati said that all the allegations levelled by him are incorrect and reflect his party’s “casteist mindset” and feeling of malice.

“Yesterday, the former president of the Congress had made some remarks regarding our party and especially about its chief, which clearly reflect the casteist mindset and a feeling of malice towards the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). It also shows similar feelings towards deprived sections of the society, especially the dalits,” Mayawati told reporters.

“Before levelling any allegation on the BSP, Rahul Gandhi must introspect,” the BSP chief said.

Mayawati added, “The Congress leader is unable to manage his scattered house, but is raising fingers on the style of working of the BSP. This clearly shows the tremendous anger and hatred towards the BSP. Instead of worrying about other parties, Rahul Gandhi should think about his own party. This is my advice.”

Mayawati also accused the Congress party of failing to take any concrete step during its long tenure to improve the social and economical condition of dalits and other deprived sections of the society. The BSP chief also alleged that the community was not given full benefits of various other facilities, including reservation.

The BSP supremo claimed that it was because of this attitude of the Congress that Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, who was the then law minister in the Congress government, had tendered his resignation.

She further questioned the Congress’ claims of preventing the Bharatiya Janata Party from coming to power.

“The Congress had fought the previous (2017) UP assembly polls with the Samajwadi Party. Despite this, it could not prevent the Bharatiya Janata Party from coming to power. The Congress should answer this,” Mayawati added.

The BSP chief also mentioned about the previous Congress government terming Bahujan Samaj Party founder Kanshi Ram a “CIA agent”.

“… before this, his (Rahul) father late Rajiv Gandhi (and former prime minister) had termed Kanshi Ram an agent of CIA to defame and weaken the BSP. And, following his footsteps, Rahul Gandhi is levelling wrong allegations on the BSP chief that since she fears the CBI and Income Tax, she has a very soft approach towards the BJP.

“However, this is not the truth. He must know that we won the cases in court and not by partnering with any government at the Centre,” Mayawati said.

In her scathing attack on the Congress, Mayawati said, “Before making any comments on opposition parties, especially BSP, the Congress should think 100 times that what has been its record till now, as far as taking on the BJP is concerned. The record of the Congress in fighting the BJP has been very weak.

“The Congress cannot be seen anywhere fighting the BJP and the (Rashtriya Swayamsevak) Sangh. The BJP is adamant in ending democracy, and making a party system from panchayat to parliament like in China,” Mayawati claimed.

Mayawati said that the working style of her party is different, and that she will not at all change it.

Taking a jibe at Rahul hugging Prime Minister Narendra Modi in parliament, Mayawati said, “The former Congress president, all of a sudden, got up and hugged Modi. Our party does not indulge in such drama. The entire country and the world laughed over this drama.”

The Congress party got only two out of 403 seats and got a vote share of less than 2.5 per cent in the recently-held Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, where the BJP retained power. As many as 97 per cent of Congress candidates lost their security deposit.

The BSP won just one seat and a vote share of around 13 per cent. Nearly 72 per cent of its candidates also lost their deposits in the election, which turned out to be a bipolar contest between the BJP and SP.