Terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegation of her tacit understanding with the SP as “baseless” and “politically motivated,” BSP chief Mayawati on Wednesday said by such “false and misleading propaganda” the premier was making a “mockery of himself”.
Ms. Mayawati said Mr. Modi was making such allegations to divert people’s attention from the failure of his government in fulfilling it promises, adding that it was being done as the PM was aware of dismal position of his party, the BJP, in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. In a counter attack, the BSP chief alleged that in fact the SP led by Mulayam Singh shared a hands-in-glove relation with the BJP, and both parties worked together to vitiate the communal atmosphere in the State.
Going back into time, Ms. Mayawati said that since the State guest house incident of June 2, 1995, an “unpardonable crime” when she was allegedly accosted by SP MLAs, she has had no political connect with the SP whatsoever. As a party and even while in power, the BSP has staunchly opposed the criminal character, face and work of the SP, its corruption and criminalisation of politics at every level, even taking legal action, she said. The BSP did not give any consideration to electoral or political benefit or loss in its opposition to the SP, she added.
“Even then the Prime Minister is hell bent on raising this false idea of a SP-BSP understanding. It is highly unfortunate and reminds us of the popular saying, ulta chor kotwal ko daante [The thief is scolding the police],” Ms. Mayawati said.
She was responding to Mr. Modi’s allegation made at a rally in Mahoba in Bundelkhand on October 24, 2016 that the SP and the BSP shared friendly relations. If they criticised each other while in opposition, once in power they hardly acted against corruption and criminals, he had alleged, while urging voters to reject them both. Observers feel that the BSP’s past alliances with the BJP might still be playing in the mind of Muslims, possibly deterring them from making a direct switch to her even as the fate of the SP is uncertain.
Perhaps catering to that notion, Ms. Mayawati tried to showcase the relationship between the SP and the BJP, saying that it was well-known that the saffron party and its parent body, the Jan Sangh, were in direct touch with Mulayam Singh Yadav since 1967. They also fought elections together in 1967, 1977 and 1989. “Recently too, the SP and the BJP openly fought against the secular alliance in Bihar, only to lose badly," she said.
“As far as U.P. goes, people here have seen many times how the SP and the BJP go soft on each other, and help each other by flaring up communal tension in the State through a tacit understanding. Both collude to engage in politics of communalism and riots," she alleged.
Without naming Muzaffarnagar, Ms. Mayawati said this was clearly at display in the 2013 riots. “There was heavy loss of life and displacement of people. But even today, the SP government has not acted against the main culprits. The prime accused are still roaming free and continuing with their communal activities,” Ms. Mayawati said.
As a return favour, the BJP government at the Centre has not sent a single notice to the SP government over the goondaraj prevailing in U.P or sought a single report from the U.P. Governor by invoking through clauses of the Constitution, she complained.
“The BJP and the SP have also been engaged in dirty politics on Ayodhya. It is common perception that the SP and the BJP have an understanding in the coming elections will work together against the BSP and and its leadership. That is why nobody can even dream that there is a SP-BSP understanding.”
