Speaking at a press conference in Lucknow on her birthday on Saturday, 15 January, ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati hit out at the Samajwadi Party, stating that it would not be beneficial to the Dalits in the state. She also slammed the defectors, terming them "selfish."
She asserted that the BSP would return to power in the upcoming elections.
Her statements come at a time when the ruling BJP has been hit by a wave of resignations and defections, with 13 MLAs, including three ministers from Yogi Adityanath's Cabinet, calling it quits. Many of them have joined the SP, much like some of the defectors from Mayawati's BSP had done in 2021.
"Selfish people are defecting. This [anti-defection] law needs to be made stricter," Mayawati said at the press conference on Saturday, warning that these defectors would be no friend to Dalits despite their rhetoric.
"Defecting leaders are forming an alliance with the SP. They are saying that they will respect the Dalit downtrodden and great men. They are shouting that the SP is an Ambedkarite party. But there is no truth to this."BSP chief Mayawati at her press conference on 15 January