Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati warned the Congress on Monday that if it did not immediately revoke cases filed against “innocent persons” during the April 2 Bharat Bandh called by Dalit groups, her party might have to “reconsider” support to the grand-old party’s governments in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
‘Withdraw cases’
“If the newly elected governments in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan do not act swiftly and withdraw the cases against the innocent persons framed in Bharat Bandh, the BSP may have to reconsider extending outside support to the Congress governments,” she said in a hard-hitting statement issued here.
The BSP has two members in Madhya Pradesh’s 230-member Assembly, while in Rajasthan her party has six seats in the House of 200 MLAs.
Ms. Mayawati said the issue was a major one “connected to the interests of Dalits and tribals”. She said cases were lodged against innocent people due to the “casteist and political malice” of the previous BJP governments in many States, including those won by the Congress now.
The Congress had supported the protests in April 2018 against the changes to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act which had witnessed instances of violence in parts of north India.
The Congress governments should avoid the BJP’s track record of betraying promises made to farmers and the unemployed, the BSP chief further said in the statement.
“It is important to give the Congress this warning before the upcoming Lok Sabha election, because now mere announcements won’t suffice,” she said.
Ms. Mayawati said that when it came to announcements, people believed that the BJP and Congress were tarred with the same brush and it was up to the Congress to change that impression.
(With PTI inputs)
