Mayawati says ‘SP-BJP nexus’ exposed in UP

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati alleged on Sunday that the nexus between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party had been “exposed” in Uttar Pradesh.

She said despite the immunity she enjoys as a member of Parliament, a case was registered against her by the Akhilesh Yadav government in Lucknow at the behest of the BJP.

Addressing a press conference at her residence here, Ms Mayawati also alleged that the derogatory remarks made about her by expelled BJP leader Daya Shankar Singh were a part of a larger conspiracy by the BJP’s top leaders to target her. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been trying to make a dent into the dalit vote base but he will not succeed as atrocities on dalits have increased under BJP rule and their leaders suffer from an anti-dalit mentality”, she said.

In a blistering attack on UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, Ms Mayawati said: “Akhilesh Yadav calls me buaji (aunt) but when it comes to protecting my honour, he takes no action. It has been four days but no effort has been made to arrest Daya Shankar Singh. Akhilesh Yadav should take lessons from me because I had taken firm action in the hate speech case against Varun Gandhi in 2009.”

She went on to allege that if she, as BSP president, could not get justice under the Akhilesh government, the common man had no hope of getting justice. Ms Mayawati said keeping in mind the underhand dealings of the SP and BJP, she had decided to call off her party’s agitation programme due on Monday.

She said she will now address mega-rallies from next month in Uttar Pradesh, in which she would expose the nexus between the SP and BJP. She said her first rally would be in Agra on August 21 and then in Azamgarh on August 28.

Replying to a question, Ms Mayawati defended party leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui, in the eye of a storm over the abusive language used in his presence by BSP leaders for female family members of Daya Shankar Singh. She said the slogans were misinterpreted and were not objectionable.

Training her guns on Swati Singh, wife of Daya Shankar Singh, the BSP president said Swati and her mother should also have registered a complaint against Daya Shankar Singh for having insulted her.