Samajwadi Party chief and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, on Thursday launched a scathing attack on his former ally Bahujan Samaj Party chief, saying that “Mayawati is dancing to the tunes of the Bharatiya Janata Party”.
“Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has confined herself in a ‘jail’ and I think that the ‘jailor’ is sitting in Delhi. Mayawati is not fighting the BJP, her target is the SP. If you look at the statements issued by her it is clear that she is busy in devising ways and means and new tactics as to how to defeat the Samajwadi Party in all elections,” Akhilesh Yadav said and added, “When she broke the alliance with the SP after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, she was conspicuous by her silence.”
He added, “Instead of raising questions on the undemocratic actions of the BJP government, the BSP president targets the opposition leaders.”
He alleged that Mayawati did not utter a word during the by-elections to Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha seats and extended her tacit support to the BJP, enabling the ruling party in UP to win both the seats.
UP’s Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya criticised Akhilesh Yadav for attacking BSP chief Mayawati. “When Akhilesh Yadav ditched his father Mulayam Singh Yadav and uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav how can you expect him to be honest towards his Bua (aunt),” Keshav Prasad Maurya said in a tweet on Thursday.
The war of words between Akhilesh Yadav and the BSP chief began soon after Mayawati last month criticised the SP chief’s visit to Azamgarh district jail for meeting the SP MLA Ramakant Yadav.
Mayawati in August had questioned his visit and asked why he did not visit jails to meet arrested Muslim leaders.
“It is natural that there have been strong reactions to SP chief meeting party muscleman MLA Ramakant Yadav in Azamgarh jail and showing sympathy to him. It also reinforces the general perception that the SP shelters these types of criminal elements,” Mayawati had tweeted in Hindi.
Ramakant Yadav, who is currently an SP MLA from Phoolpur Pawai in Azamgarh district, surrendered to a local court in August in a 24-year-old case of attempted murder.
“Also, is it unreasonable for various outfits and people to ask why the SP chief does not visit jails to meet Muslim leaders, even as he accuses the BJP government of implicating SP leaders in fake cases and lodging them in jail?” Mayawati added.
Mayawati’s sharp attack on Akhilesh regarding Muslims was a move to win over the minority community voters with an argument that SP was not concerned about them and was using them merely as a vote bank.
In UP, both BSP and SP need to add Muslim votes to their traditional vote banks -- Dalits and Yadavs, respectively -- to win elections.