Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati has come down heavily on remarks that were made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday.
At the launch of the book The Dalit Truth: The Battles for Realizing Ambedkar’s vision edited by K. Raju, a retired IAS officer, Gandhi delivered the keynote address, in which he targeted Mayawati.
He had said that he would not have delivered the address had he taken any money. “Why does Mayawati not speak? I had sent a message for a coalition and said that she should be the chief minister. She did not even respond to us.”
He had also said that the CBI and the ED were controlling the political system. “Mayawati is silent,” he said.
Responding to these comments, Mayawati said that the casteist mentality of the Congress was clearly evident. “The Congress has done nothing for dalits,” she said at a press conference on Sunday.
Rahul Gandhi had also mentioned BSP founder Kanshi Ram in his speech, saying that he respected the leader. “He gave his blood and sweat to raise the voice of dalits in Uttar Pradesh. It harmed the Congress, but that was another matter. He gave voice to them.”
In contrast, Gandhi said that Mayawati was not fighting for that voice and had instead given an ‘open way’. This is in reference to the speculation that BSP acted as the BJP’s ‘B team’ in the recent assembly elections in UP.
Mayawati responded by saying that the Congress had been unable to put its own house in order. “Their hatred towards the BSP is very evident. The Congress is falsely accusing the BSP. I strongly condemn what Rahul Gandhi has said. He should have thought before making any comments,” she said.
Mayawati also added that the charge that she was with the BJP was false and that Gandhi was unnecessarily raising fingers on the working of the BSP.
