Lucknow: BSP supremo Mayawati on Wednesday said her party would contest the upcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan alone but left the door ajar for 2019 general elections as she launched a blistering attack on the Congress, saying the grand old party was still clinging on to its arrogance and did not mend its ways.
In a speech that signalled that the mahagathbandhan is crumbling ahead of the 2019 elections, Mayawati said that the Congress was conspiring to finish off the BSP and its leaders were sabotaging the alliance.
The BSP chief, who had last month announced candidates for 22 seats in poll-bound MP unilaterally, singled out senior leader Digvijaya Singh for the blame of the alliance falling apart. Calling Singh a BJP agent, she said he did not wish for any alliance in the state as he was afraid the Centre would send agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI after him if it materialises.
“The BSP wants to forge an alliance with the Congress party in assembly as well as Lok Sabha Elections. But Congress leader Digvijaya, who is a BJP agent, does not want that Congress should form an alliance with BSP in Madhya Pradesh. He is giving statements that Mayawati ji has a lot of pressure from Centre so she doesn’t want this alliance. This is baseless," she said while addressing a press conference in Lucknow.
However, she spared Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in her broadside on the party, saying that she feels their “intentions for Congress-BSP alliance are honest."
The Congress refused to join the war of words and hoped issues will be ironed out before Lok Sabha elections as Mayawati had expressed confidence in Rahul and Sonia Gandhi.
“At times, out of emotions, sweet and bitter things are said. But at last, if Mayawati ji holds absolute trust in Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi then other creases can be ironed out," said party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.
“Our leaders have an amicable, respectable and fruitful relationship and other differences can be ironed out. We will talk to Mayawati and address her concerns. If there is consensus between Mayawati, our president Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, then no fourth person can create trouble," he added.
In her verbal assault, Mayawati said the Congress was dreaming it could defeat the BJP on its own. She questioned if the grand old party even wanted to defeat the saffron outfit, saying it was not ready to fight elections mentally.
“They (Congress) are getting arrogant and are under misconception that they can defeat BJP on their own but the ground reality is that people haven't forgiven Congress party for their mistakes and corruption...They don't seem to be ready to rectify themselves" she said.
Last month, Mayawati had surprised the Congress by deciding to ally with Ajit Jogi's party in Chhatisgarh and announcing candidates for Morena and Shivpuri; the region that is the stronghold of Congress's campaign manager Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Jogi was quick to defend Mayawati's decision to go it alone in MP and Rajasthan, and said Congress was levelling baseless allegations at the BSP and was not even needed in the grand alliance to defeat BJP.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, meanwhile, urged the Congress to show magnanimity in seat sharing and said any delay might prompt other parties to declare their candidates for the upcoming assembly elections.
"I am saying even today that the Congress should show its large-heartedness, and it should contest elections by taking along all the political parties who have similar thoughts and ideology."
"If there is any delay, then there is a possibility that other parties may declare their candidates. After this, they (Congress) will be levelling allegations that they colluded with the BJP," Yadav said.
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