Mayawati slams Congress over Rahul Gandhi's UP offer comment

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Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on Sunday slammed the Congress's Rahul Gandhi, a day after he said that the BSP chief “did not respond” to the party's alliance offer in UP during elections. “The Congress needs to worry about itself first,” she said in a series of sharp comments, adding that the remarks were an attempt to “malign” her party. “The BJP and the RSS are making India not just 'Congress-mukt' but also 'opposition-mukt' where India will be left with just one dominant party from national to village level just like that of China's political system," Mayawati said at a press briefing. “We are not a party where a leader like Rahul Gandhi forcefully hugs the prime minister in parliament, we aren't a party whose fun is made across the world," she added, attacking the Gandhis and the Congress.

The Congress and the BSP were among the parties that fared the worst in the Uttar Pradesh polls. While Mayawati's party managed to win just one seat, the Congress - despite Priyanka Gandhi Vadra leading the campaign - got just two of 403 seats in the crucial state. The remarks - signifying a rift between the two leaders - can also be worrying amid the opposition's attempts to unify against the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. UP sends 80 MPs to Lok Sabha. On Saturday, Rahul Gandhi, while addressing an event said: “We approached Mayawati and offered her the position of the chief minister, but she did not respond to the proposals."

Invoking the Dalit icon Kanshi Ram, the 51-year-old leader further said: "Kanshi Ram ji raised the voice of Dalits in UP, though it affected Congress... But Mayawati ji is saying that I will not fight for it ... she gave a clear passage to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Why? (Because of ) CBI, the ED and Pegasus.” He suggested in his remarks that Mayawati was scared due to the alleged misuse of central probe agencies by the BJP.

Soon after the UP election results, Mayawati had clarified that the "BSP is not team B for the BJP". After a muted campaign, she also slammed the media for distorting the party image.

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