Rahul Gandhi, who is on a two-day visit to his parliamentary constituency from Thursday, said that if Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati had fought the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with the Congress, they would have won.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Thursday slammed the Congress, accusing it of having a ‘dual character and casteist mindset’ in response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks questioning her party’s current political stance.
Mayawati’s remark came shortly after Rahul Gandhi, during his visit to his Raebareli Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday, indirectly accused her of distancing herself from the anti-BJP front or the INDIA bloc during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
‘Casteist attitudes towards BSP and its followers’
In an X post, Mayawati said, “Wherever the Congress is strong or in power, it harbours hostility and casteist attitudes towards BSP and its followers. But in states like UP, where it is weak, it tries to mislead people by talking about an alliance with BSP. If this is not hypocrisy, then what is?”
She further argued that past alliances with Congress had always been detrimental to the BSP. “Whenever BSP allied with Congress or other casteist parties, our base vote got transferred to them. But this was never reciprocated. As a result, BSP always suffered losses,” she said in her X post.
Also targeting the BJP, she said, “They (Congress and BJP) have consistently opposed Dr BR Ambedkar, the BSP, its leadership, Dalit-Bahujan followers, and the reservation system.”
“Their policies have hindered the nation’s constitutional goal of equality and welfare, which is deeply concerning,” she said.
What did Rahul Gandhi say on alliance with BSP?
While interacting with a group of Dalit students of the ‘Mool Bharti’ hostel near Bargad Chauraha in Raebareli said that if BSP had fought the recent parliamentary elections with the Congress, they would have won.
“I wanted Behenji to fight alongside us against the BJP, but for some reason, she did not. That was deeply disappointing. If all three parties had united, the BJP would never have won,” Gandhi said while interacting with Dalit students in Raebareli.
Notably, the Congress and Samajwadi Party had contested the 2024 polls together in Uttar Pradesh and succeeded in limiting the BJP’s advance in the most populous state winning 43 seats including the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat.
Interestingly, the Congress MP during his interaction with Dalit students had started by praising Mayawati. He spoke about BSP founder Kanshi Ram’s role in Indian politics. “I believe Kanshi Ram Ji laid the foundation, and Behenji (Mayawati) built upon it,” he said before questioning her present political stance.
(With agencies input)
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