Amid the raging controversy over the expulsion of her nephew Akash Anand and closing the door on his father-in-law Ashok Siddharth, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Friday attacked the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress.
She stated that people need to understand that BSP is the only party based on the Dalit movement and working for the community’s welfare, whereas the SP and the Congress are chameleons adopting colours but far away from the ideals of Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram.
In a post on X, Mayawati said the BSP’s blue colour has been targeted since inception by leaders and workers of the SP, Congress and other Opposition parties.
“But merely wearing it as a ‘gamchha’ around their necks, donning blue clothes or using blue fabric on stages cannot change their casteist, narrow-minded, feudal, and capitalist mindset that has persisted for years towards all sections of the society, especially the poor, Dalits, tribals, backward classes, and other neglected groups,” she said.
Recently SP chief Akhilesh Yadav officially unveiled a blue T-shirt and jeans code for the party’s youth wing, a significant departure from the party’s traditional red and green dress code. The new blue dress code is strategically aimed at expanding the party’s footprint among the BSP’s Dalit support base ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.
Lashing out at the SP, Mayawati said, “In any case, these people habitually change colours like chameleons when it comes to the issues of these sections, meaning they say one thing and do exactly the opposite.”
Mayawati also said, “…those in the BSP who are expelled from time to time due to indiscipline and such reasons have, for the most part, switched parties multiple times up to now for exactly these reasons, which is no secret to anyone. From this alone, one should gauge that these people are utterly selfish and opportunistic, and they cannot serve the interests of any party.”
After the BSP chief expelled Akash Anand on Thursday, Congress leader Udit Raj offered to facilitate his entry into the party and arrange a meeting with Rahul Gandhi.
Reacting to the Congress leader’s offer, Mayawati said, “The parties that often talk about taking in people expelled from a party or even advise them to form their own should first take a good look at themselves,” she said.
“Especially the Congress party, which is talking about taking in these expelled people, if they join such a party that is sinking like a ship, who would want to plunge their future into darkness? Especially since Bhimrao Ambedkar himself had warned the people of the Bahujan Samaj during his lifetime to stay away from this party,” she said
Speaking about former BSP MP Ashok Siddharth’s decision to quit politics, Mayawati said despite considerable pressure on the day he was advised to retire, he did not immediately announce his retirement.
“That entire night, all sorts of tactics were adopted to stop Ashok Siddharth from announcing retirement. Only when they failed then out of compulsion, the next morning around 6.30 am he made his announcement of his retirement—full of ifs and buts—thinking that any further delay might cause even greater damage, about which the people of the party will certainly be told much more at the right time,” she said.
