Congress Will Pay a Heavy Price When Time Comes, Just Like Vajpayee Did, Warns Mayawati

Morena: Accusing the Congress of deceit in Madhya Pradesh, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has alleged that the grand old party was intimidating her party candidates in the state.

The BSP president, who was addressing an election rally in Morena on Saturday, in favour of party candidate Kartar Singh Bhadana, said the Congress had formed the government in the state with the BSP’s support, but, later, ditched it.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha election in the state, the Congress was misusing the government machinery to browbeat BSP candidates, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.

The BSP supremo’s remarks came after several BSP leaders joined the Congress recently. Earlier last week, the BSP's Guna candidate Lokendra Singh had opted out and joined the Congress while extending support to the party's sitting parliamentarian Jyotiraditya Scindia.

This has further enraged Mayawati, who had even announced that she would reconsider support to Congress government. Besides, the husband of one of the two BPS MLAs in the state has been named as an accused in the murder of a Congress leader.

Mayawati said scores would be settled with the grand old party at an opportune time. "The Congress will have to pay a heavy price for this when time comes. Due to similar acts, we brought down the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government," she said.

She even accused the Congress of ditching Dalit icon BR Ambedkar when he contested an election in Maharashtra and the Congress fielded its candidate against him. “The Congress’ priority should have been to ensure Babasaheb’s victory,” Mayawati said.

She also attacked the Modi government at the Centre and called it a failure for the regular terror attacks in the country.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister dubbed both the BJP and Congress as "casteist and capitalist" and said the BSP would never enter into an alliance with either of them.

"You (BSP workers) should be ready that we will never contest elections in alliance with the BJP and Congress, both of which are casteist, capitalist parties," she said. Polling in Morena is scheduled on May 12.