New Delhi: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Shyam Singh Yadav said Thursday that most MPs of his party are “frustrated” with the leadership’s decision to remain outside the INDIA bloc, bringing to the fore the growing unease within the Mayawati-led party over its perceived diffidence in taking on the BJP.
It is another matter that the INDIA bloc has not made any moves so far to admit the BSP as one of its members. The Samajwadi Party (SP) is particularly adamant that it will not accept BSP under the INDIA umbrella.
The SP reportedly made its position clear even at Tuesday’s INDIA meeting when it urged Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to clarify that no attempt has been made to bring Mayawati onboard.
Moreover, a day before the INDIA meeting, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee stated during her interaction with a group of reporters that Mayawati will not join the INDIA alliance as she has her “own problems”. She refused to elaborate, saying reporters can draw their own conclusions.
At the same time, however, the BSP is confronted with the unique challenge of voices within the party pushing it to shed its antipathy towards the Opposition alliance in the “larger interest of the nation”. The party has already suspended Amroha MP Kunwar Danish Ali, and expelled former MLA Imran Masood for their perceived pro-Congress tilt, show reports.
On Wednesday, Yadav, who represents the Jaunpur constituency, joined the list of BSP leaders that have been found to be out of step with the party line in recent months. Speaking to ThePrint, he said that there is no reason for the BSP to not be a part of the INDIA bloc if it is against the policies and actions of the BJP government at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.
Yadav’s remarks came hours after Mayawati’s nephew Akash Anand — announced by the BSP supremo as her successor earlier this month — issued a statement, saying that “some leaders in the INDIA alliance are more afraid of the BSP than the BJP”.
“I want to make it clear that BSP does not believe in the hate politics of alliance which seeks votes by holding up the fear of BJP. Because at one point, some people came to power by showing fear of the Congress and today the whole country is suffering the consequences of that,” Anand posted on X.
Yadav, however, added that he was offering his personal opinion on the matter. “There is no doubt about it that the BSP should be a part of the INDIA alliance. If we are against their policies and actions, we must unite. All of us, and the workers, have also conveyed our position to the leadership,” Yadav said.
Yadav insisted that he was not the only BSP MP to hold such a view. “It is very clear that the majority opinion among BSP MPs is that the party should join the INDIA bloc. Because of not joining, they are a little frustrated. None of us feels that the BSP can single-handedly take on the BJP,” Yadav said.
Yadav had met Rahul Gandhi earlier this week. But he sought to dissociate his meeting with the senior Congress leader with his suggestion on the BSP joining the INDIA bloc, saying that they have known each other for a long time due to their involvement in the functioning of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI). Yadav has coached the Indian shooting team in the past.
Yadav had also joined Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Yatra during its Delhi leg last year.
“I have not even thought of joining the Congress party,” Yadav said, describing the principal Opposition party as a “cosmopolitan” outfit. “The BJP keeps saying the Congress is a spent force, but continues to spend all its time and resources on seeking to discredit it. Why? Because Congress gives them sleepless nights,” Yadav said.
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‘Alliance with INDIA would be for larger national interest’
Yadav was among the 10 MPs elected on BSP tickets in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections which the party had fought in an alliance with the SP. The party’s performance, after having drawn a blank in the 2014 general elections, was attributed to it having gained from the backing of traditional SP voters.
However, on 10 December, during her meeting with the party’s state and national-level office-bearers, Mayawati said that while the BSP manages to transfer its votes to other parties while contesting polls as part of alliances, “other parties fail to do that”. On Wednesday, Anand also bracketed the Congress and the BJP in the same category.
“Everyone knows the real character of Congress and the BJP. The BSP, which understands the prevailing situation in the country, will not strike any compromise and work towards saving the Constitution and democracy,” Anand posted on X.
However, weighing in on Mayawati’s argument on transfer of votes, Yadav said, “Every party offers such arguments. But sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice little things for the larger national interest.”
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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