Mayawati threatens to withdraw support from Congress in Madhya Pradesh

LUCKNOW: Putting on test its already fragile equation with Congress, BSP chief Mayawati said on Monday that she would be forced to reconsider support to the party in Madhya Pradesh if it did not immediately take up the issue of reservation in promotions in government jobs and the implementation of the SC/ST Act of 1989.

Her support to the Congress after it won 114 seats in MP assembly polls, two short of a majority, appeared to be a half-hearted show of solidarity with Mayawati claiming that she would support Congress only to keep BJP out of power as she otherwise had serious differences with Congress’ ideology and policies. A pre-poll alliance between the two parties for MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, fell through after Mayawati accused the national party of being arrogant and not offering BSP “a respectable deal”.

“Several innocent people were put behind bars during the April 2, 2018, Bharat Bandh to demand reservation in promotions in government jobs and protest dilution of the SC/ST Act. Many such people had cases slapped against them in Rajasthan and MP. The newly formed Congress governments should take back these cases immediately,” she said, adding that since both issues were linked closely with the development of Dalits and tribals, Congress had to take these up immediately, failing which BSP “will be forced to reconsider its outside support to the Congress governments of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh”.

Giving it a “warning” before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, for which BSP, SP and Congress have been exploring the possibility of an alliance in UP, Mayawati said that empty promises would no longer work and that if Congress had to prove that it was not like BJP, it would have to deliver on its promises.