Congress should worry about itself: Mayawati on Rahul Gandhi’s UP offer comment

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 the state 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 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. 

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.