Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 21: In her continued war of words with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati accused Congress of functioning as the “B team” of the BJP during the recent Delhi Assembly elections, contributing to the BJP’s victory in the national capital.
Mayawati’s comments came after Rahul Gandhi claimed that the BJP would not have won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections if Mayawati had joined the INDIA alliance. In response, Mayawati wrote on X, “It is a common discussion that Congress contested the Delhi elections as BJP’s B team, which led to BJP’s victory. Otherwise, Congress would not have performed so poorly, failing to save the deposit of most of its candidates.”
The BSP chief also took aim at Rahul Gandhi, advising him to engage in self-introspection rather than pointing fingers at others, particularly her. “It would be better if Rahul Gandhi, the supreme leader of Congress, looks into himself before blaming others, especially the BSP chief,” she said.
Mayawati further warned the newly formed BJP government in Delhi that it must fulfill its electoral promises, especially those related to public welfare and development, or risk facing the same fate as the Congress party. “If BJP doesn’t live up to its promises, their condition could become as bad as Congress’ in the future,” she cautioned.
On Thursday, Rahul Gandhi had expressed disappointment over Mayawati’s decision to not join the INDIA alliance, stating, “We wanted Behenji to fight elections with us against the BJP. If all three parties come together, the BJP would never win.”
In her reply, Mayawati accused Congress of double standards, highlighting their hostile attitude towards the BSP in states where Congress is strong, while pretending to seek an alliance in weaker states like Uttar Pradesh. She criticized Congress for not transferring its base votes to BSP during past alliances, leading to BSP’s losses.
In the 2024 parliamentary elections, Congress and the Samajwadi Party contested together as part of the INDIA alliance, while the BSP chose to fight independently.