Mayawati lashes out at Congress; says BSP to go it alone in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan polls

BSP Chief Mayawati,congress bsp alliance

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on October 3 lashed out at the Indian National Congress and said her party will fight the upcoming assembly polls alone.

The BSP supremo said, “I want to make it clear that BSP will never contest in any election in alliance with the Congress.”

Mayawati said Congress had not learnt from election losses in the past.

“This is because, from the behaviour of the Congress party, it seems as though more than trying to defeat the BJP, they are bent on defeating the BSP movement,” Mayawati said.

Mayawati claimed “only BSP’s vote is transferrable in the entire country”.

Taking a jibe at the Congress, Mayawati said there was chaos “everywhere because of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s rule” and “yet, Congress had not learnt any lesson from the past”.

Mayawati accused the Congress of trying to suppress opposition parties.

"They are losing state after state. Congress always tries to defeat its partners rather than trying to defeat the BJP," Mayawati said.

The BSP supremo said Congress has a “misunderstanding” that it can alone defeat BJP.

Mayawati, however, said she feels Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi may want an alliance between Congress and BSP in some states for the upcoming Assembly elections and subsequently for the Lok Sabha polls.

“I feel that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi's intentions for the Congress-BSP alliance are honest,” she said.

However, Mayawati added that some Congress leaders were sabotaging the Congress-BSP alliance talks.

Congress leaders like Digvijaya Singh do not wish well for a Congress-BSP alliance, she said, according to news agency ANI. They are afraid of agencies like Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), she added.

Mayawati had earlier announced that BSP would not ally with the Congress in Chhattisgarh and would instead tie up with former chief minister Ajit Jogi’s Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) in the upcoming assembly election.

Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “The leader of BSP has expressed mutual respect for RaGa and Sonia. That is the most important point. If the leaders have an amicable and respectable relationship with each other, then the minor creases can be ironed out. Alliances cannot be made or broken at press conferences."

“The doors to making an alliance are still open depending upon the strength of a party and the electorate of the region. Those who want to join us are welcome, and those who do not can lead their own way," he added.

Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and possibly Telangana, are expected to head for assembly polls later this year.

Assembly Elections 2018: Read the latest news, views and analysis here