Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Sunday delivered a major jolt to efforts for Opposition unity against the BJP when she declared that she would join the alliance only if she was given a “respectable” number of seats for the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. Talking to reporters, she said she was not against the principle of an alliance but would enter one only if she was given a “respectable” number of seats. She said that the option of going alone in the polls was always open for her.
Earlier, reports from the BSP camp had suggested Ms Mayawati would not settle for anything less than 40 out of the state’s 80 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. Ms Mayawati said the effort of the Opposition parties will be to stop the BJP from returning to power at any cost. She targeted the BJP, claiming its governments at the Centre and in the states had “worsened” the condition of the people by offering false dreams.
In another significant move, Ms Mayawati snubbed Chandrashekhar Azad, the Bhim Army chief, and said that she had no relations with “these sort of people”.
The Bhim Army leader, Chandrashekhar Azad, had on Friday said that Ms Mayawati was like his “bua” (aunt) and that he appreciated the fact that she was working for dalits. Chandrashekhar had been released from jail where he had spent 15 months under the National Security Act, Ms Mayawati warned her followers to beware of “such elements” who set up organisations in the name of dalits for their selfish material motives.
