Mayawati's comments have been linked to her setback ahead of polls on November 9 in UP.
Highlights
- Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav are back to being fierce rivals
- Her remarks come ahead of Member of Legislative Council election in UP
- Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticised the statement
After their brief alliance in Uttar Pradesh flopped in last year's national election, Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav are back to being fierce rivals. Mayawati has said she is even ready to vote for the BJP to defeat any candidate of Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party in polls to the UP legislative council.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader has even said it was a "mistake" to withdraw her 1995 case against the Samajwadi Party for the sake of their alliance.
"We have decided that to defeat SP candidate in future MLC (Member of Legislative Council) elections in UP, we will devote all our energies and even if we have to give our vote to a BJP candidate or any other party candidate, we will do it. Any party candidate who will be dominant over Samajwadi's second candidate will get all BSP MLAs' vote for sure," Mayawati told news agency ANI.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, hinting at Mayawati's tacit support for the BJP, commented on the video of her statement: "Now is there anything more to be said?"
The former Chief Minister's comments have been linked to her setback ahead of polls on November 9 for 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Mayawati's party has put up a candidate, Ramji Gautam, for one Rajya Sabha seat even though it doesn't have the numbers in the assembly. BSP leaders had indicated that they may get the support of other non-BJP parties.
However, in a blow to those plans, four of the 10 BSP MLAs who had proposed the name of the candidate said their signatures on his nomination paper had been forged. They also hinted that they may switch sides. One MLA revealed she had met with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and another commented that he was "known to treat his party members with respect".
A furious Mayawati hit out at Akhilesh Yadav and called her decision to partner with him for the Lok Sabha election a big mistake. She also said when she saw the Samajwadi Party's behaviour after the Lok Sabha election results, she realised that it was a big mistake to take back her 1995 case against the party over an attack on her.
"We should not have joined hands with them. We should have thought a bit deeply. We took the wrong decision in haste. We committed a very big mistake by doing so," she said.
"I want to disclose that when we decided to contest polls with Samajwadi Party for Lok Sabha elections in UP, we worked very hard for it but from day one of our coalition, Akhilesh Yadav kept telling SC Mishra (senior BSP leader) that since the BSP-SP have joined hands, I should take back my case," said Mayawati.
"Our party had joined hands with SP to fight communal forces during the Lok Sabha elections. Due to their family infighting, they could not gain much from the alliance with BSP. They stopped responding to us post-elections and so, we decided to part ways with them."
Ahead of the general election, Mayawati buried her legendary rivalry with Samajwadi founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and teamed up with his son Akhilesh Yadav to form an opposition bloc against the BJP.
Mayawati went to a court to withdraw her case over what is known as the "Guest House" incident in 1995, when she was manhandled by Samajwadi Party workers after she decided to pull out support from Mulayam Singh's government and join hands with the BJP.
The goodwill was short-lived; the Mayawati-Akhilesh Yadav combo came a cropper in UP, leaving the two rivals-turned-allies carping at each other.