Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav along with party leaders being garlanded during the public meeting for the Lok Sabha Polls, in Shahjahanpur on May 8, 2024. | Photo Credit: ANI
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati took issue with the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Wednesday for commenting on the removal of party leader Akash Anand from a key BSP post. She said the “Anti-Dalit” SP would be well advised to avoid comment on the BSP’s internal matters. The BSP president advised Akhilesh Yadav to focus on his family members and candidates belonging to the Yadav community.
“It would be better if the extremely ‘anti-Dalit’ SP does not comment or worry about the BSP organisation. Instead, the SP leadership should worry about their own family and candidates from the Yadav community because their condition is very bad,” wrote Ms. Mayawati, on X (formerly Twitter).
Enemies of Dalits
The four-time U.P. CM accused the SP of being inimical to Dalits and backward communities. “The behaviour, character and face of the SP, as always, is that of a party strongly opposed to the rights of Dalits, backward castes and the reservation given to them in the Constitution. Ending reservations in promotions and tearing up a bill on this issue in Parliament are all difficult to forgive,” Ms. Mayawati added.
She was responding hours after the SP chief Akhilesh alleged that changes in the BSP’s organisation signify that Mayawati’s party is not getting any seats in the 2024 polls. He appealed to the BSP’s core supporters, the Dalits, to vote for the INDIA alliance describing the opposition bloc as the only grouping capable of saving the constitution.
BSP senses its failure
“Whatever steps the BSP has taken to revamp its organisation is an internal matter. The real reason is that the BSP is not winning a single seat because most of their traditional supporters are also voting for the INDIA Alliance to save the Constitution and reservations. The BSP has sensed the organisational failure. That explains why its top leadership is implementing such major changes but it’s already too late,” the SP president claimed.
The SP leader said, “The truth is that since the BSP has not won a single seat in the first three phases in its stronghold, there is no possibility that the remaining four phases will yield anything. We appeal to all voters not to waste their votes and instead vote for candidates of the INDIA alliance who are fighting to save the constitution of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and save reservation.”
Mayawati announced the removal of her nephew Akash Anand as party National Coordinator On May 7, saying he needs to “mature” before assuming an important role.
