Mumbai: NCP supremo Sharad Pawar said on Wednesday that the Mayawati-led party's participation in the I.N.D.I.A. bloc cannot be decided until it is clear whose side she is on. Pawar said that the BSP had established a dialogue with the BJP in the past.
His comments, made at a press conference held jointly with Mayawati, were made amid rumours that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc was in contact with her about possibly include the party. However, sources on both sides have dismissed these rumours.
Asked about Mayawati's claims of neutrality, Pawar replied, "There is no clarity on whose side Mayawati is. BJP and she had communicated in the past. I have my doubts that she would continue doing that now. But until we know more, we can't move forward. Mayawati, leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), stated earlier today that her party had "no question" about joining the BJP-led NDA or the opposition's I.N.D.I.A. alliance.
Her remarks appeared in a series of tweets published the day before a meeting of the I.N.D.I.A. alliance in Mumbai, when opposition leaders were scheduled to discuss a unified plan to defeat the BJP-led NDA in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
Mayawati stated that the BSP will continue to fight against the "anti-poor, casteist, communal, pro-rich, and capitalist policies" of the NDA and I.N.D.I.A. blocs.
Because of this, running for office in concert with them is out of the question. So, I'm making a plea to the media: Please, no false reports.—Inputs from Agencies
