The Congress reached out to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati for an alliance ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and offered her the chief minister’s post, but she did not respond, fearing action from central agencies, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday.
“We approached Mayawati and offered her the position of the chief minister, but she did not respond to the proposals,” the Wayanad MP said.
The Congress won two out of the 403 seats in the Uttar Pradesh assembly and the BSP won one in the recently held polls. The Bharatiya Janata Party secured a second term, winning 274 seats.
Gandhi also hailed BSP founder and Dalit icon Kanshi Ram for “raising the voice of Dalits”. “Kanshi Ram ji raised the voice of Dalits in UP, though it affected Congress... But Mayawati ji is saying that I will not fight for it ... she gave a clear passage to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Why? (Because of ) CBI, the ED and Pegasus.”
HT reached out to BSP leaders but they were not available for a comment till the time of print.
{{/usCountry}}HT reached out to BSP leaders but they were not available for a comment till the time of print.
{{/usCountry}}Speaking at the launch of the book The Dalit Truth, edited by Congress leader K Raju, the former Congress chief also took a shot at the BJP-led central government. “When the Constitution becomes defunct, the weak are the worst affected -- Dalits, minorities, tribals, unemployed, small farmers and the poor,” he said, exhorting Dalits to fight for their rights by treading the path shown by BR Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi.