Decision to include BSP in Oppn alliance would be joint, not Congress’ alone: JD(U)

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati’s decision to spare the Congress, while launching a scathing attack on the BJP, hasn’t gone unnoticed in political circles. The overture was made barely two days ahead of a joint opposition meet in Patna to chalk out a united strategy to take on a ‘Modi-fied’ BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha polls. (ALSO READ: Opposition parties unlikely to ink common minimum programme at Patna meet)

However, amid the newfound buzz that the BSP and Congress were probing possibilities of an alliance, KC Tyagi, special advisor and chief spokesperson of Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal (U) made it clear that as of now only SP and RLD had been invited for the opposition meet from UP. JD (U) leader and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has convened the joint opposition meet in Patna on Friday. (ALSO READ: New Delhi Junction | Scenes from the forming of a unified opposition)

“The Congress is a big party and has several alliances with many parties in different states, including us and is certainly part of the Patna meet. All the same, the decision to align with the BSP and make it a part of the united opposition strategy would be a joint decision, not that of any one party alone,” Tyagi told HT on phone.

“The June 23 Patna meeting has been convened to discuss ways to take on the BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Only those parties or leaders who have shown the resolve to take on the BJP, are to be part of the meeting. The statements of BSP leaders in the recent past have never been for opposition unity and in fact from time to time, the BSP leadership had been targeting the Congress and the Samajwadi Party. They did not show any interest in the June 23 meeting and hence they haven’t been invited,” Tyagi said.

“Today she may have been soft on the Congress but as of now, it is highly unlikely that she would be part of the opposition unity move. As for the Congress, it is a big party which has alliance or understanding with several parties, including us, Sharad Pawar (NCP), Mamta Banerjee (TMC) and the Left. So, any possible pact with the BSP will be a common one,” Tyagi said. The Congress is part of the ruling alliance in Bihar.

Tyagi said the national chiefs or chief ministers of Congress, JD (U), RJD, JMM, CPI, CPM, CPI (ML), TMC, Samajwadi Party, RLD, NCP, Shiv Sena, AAP, PDP and NC would be part of the June 23 Patna meet. It is expected that the opposition parties would dwell on common issues and prepare a joint statement on the purpose of their unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

ALSO READ | Opposition parties Patna meet: Seat sharing to be based on vote share arithmetic

BJP TOO TARGETS MAYA

The buzz about BSP and Congress exploring an alliance hasn’t gone unnoticed in the BJP either, as the ruling party quickly countered her.

“Mayawati ji is now engaged in seasonal politics. She is now resorting to the same dynastic politics that the Congress, SP, RLD and others are engaged in. Her mentor Kanshiram had toiled hard to make the BSP a potent political force. But Mayawati has changed Kanshiram’s missionary politics into one of commission,” BJP spokesman Rakesh Tripathi said.

“It appears that she is completely confused about the way forward and whom she intends to support,” Tripathi added.