People voted for Congress with a heavy heart, says BSP’s Mayawati

Agreeing that the Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh verdicts were against the BJP, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) decided to support the Congress governments in the three States. The offer from the party supremo Mayawati made on Wednesday comes in handy for the Congress, that fell one seat short of the majority in Rajasthan and in Madhya Pradesh. In Rajasthan, the BSP got six seats while in Madhya Pradesh it secured two.

Mayawati said in a statement that her party’s performance was not satisfactory and the people wanted to see the end of BJP’s rule. “People were so unhappy with the BJP that they wanted to keep that party away from power at any cost. So, with a heavy heart, people voted for the Congress, which had ruled those States for years and ignored Dalits, tribals, minorities and backward classes during their long tenure,” Mayawati said.

She said the primary motive of the BSP was to defeat an “arrogant and anti-people” BJP. “But in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP is still trying to form government. That is the reason why we have decided to extend support to the Congress. In Rajasthan too, we will support the Congress if such a need arises,” she said.

She said the BSP does not subscribe to the ideology of the Congress and added that had the Congress took the path as advised by BR Ambedkar, the country’s fortunes would have been different. “We fought elections to keep the BJP out of power ... We do not agree with the philosophy of the Congress. But to keep the BJP out of power we will extend our support,” she said.

She added that Janata Congress Chhattisgarh leader Ajit Jogi’s statements during the campaign worked against the alliance as people thought it will help the BJP to return to power. “It was a general statement, but it was twisted against us,” she said. “Now, the Congress will not require our help in government formation in Chhattisgarh,” she added.

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