Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday said he was disappointed that Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) did not join Congress to fight the elections against the BJP together.
During an interaction with Dalit students in Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli, the Congress leader spoke about BSP founder Kanshi Ram's impact on Indian politics.
“I believe Kanshi Ram Ji laid the foundation, and Behenji (Mayawati) built upon it,” he said.
Rahul then questioned Mayawati's current political stance, saying, “I wanted Behenji to fight alongside us against the BJP, but for some reason, she did not. This was deeply disappointing. If all three parties had united, the BJP would never have won.”
However, Mayawati was quick to respond, accusing the Congress of having a “dual character and casteist mindset.”
“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?” Mayawati said in a post on X (formerly Twitter)
The Congress and Samajwadi Party contested the 2024 polls together in Uttar Pradesh, managing to curb the BJP's gains in the state. The alliance secured 43 seats, including the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat.
During the interaction with students at ‘Mool Bharti’ hostel near Bargad Chauraha , Gandhi also praised the Dalits' role in shaping the Constitution, saying that while it reflects their ideology, they allegedly continue to face systemic oppression.
The Congress and Samajwadi Party contested the 2024 polls together in Uttar Pradesh, managing to curb the BJP's gains in the state. The alliance secured 43 seats, including the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat.
During the interaction with students at ‘Mool Bharti’ hostel near Bargad Chauraha , Gandhi also praised the Dalits' role in shaping the Constitution, saying that while it reflects their ideology, they allegedly continue to face systemic oppression.
“There is an entire system which is against you and doesn't want you to progress. The system attacks you everyday and half of the time you don't even get to know how it attacks you,” said the Congress leader.
“You need to understand that the ideology of the Constitution is your ideology. I can say this to you with the guarantee that had there not been Dalits in this country, it would not have got its Constitution. It's your ideology, it's your Constitution but wherever you go now, you are crushed by the system,” added Rahul Gandhi.
With PTI inputs