BJP vice chief alleges SP-BSP ideologically different doing injustice to their workers

Terming the alliance between the SP and the BSP in Uttar Pradesh as "selfish", BJP national Vice President Dushyant Kumar Gautam on Tuesday said the parties are doing injustice to their activists by bringing two ideologically different forces together.

Citing examples of animosity between Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said people of Uttar Pradesh are feeling deprived by the decision of alliance and will reject it in the 2019 general elections.

"It is a selfish alliance. The two parties, who have had strong animosity and no ideological connection, have decided to come together just for the sake of votes. People of UP are feeling deprived by their decision," Gautam said at the state BJP headquarters here.

"Mayawati once said she would never join hands with the SP. On the other hand, Mulayam Singh Yadav had said he can never consider Mayawati as his sister. They are doing injustice by bringing two parties together who are ideologically poles apart," he claimed.

Gautam further claimed that the SP, BSP or Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) are not political parties but parties run by certain families and are trying to form an alliance against the BJP just to save their own chairs. He also questioned the legitimacy of an opposition alliance without the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, where it is one of the prime political parties.

Talking about the possibility of an anti-BJP alliance in 2019, Gautam said if any such alliance happens, the BJP is "more than prepared" to defeat them. Referring to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's mega anti-BJP rally in Kolkata on January 19, which is expected to be attended by a number of senior opposition leaders, he said all the parties which have become weak in their own states are trying to revive themselves by coming together.

"All these parties have become weak in their respective states. That's why they are trying to come together to increase their vote share. But they have no ideological affinity. We have also lost three elections but have not shifted from our ideology. Our party has an image and goodwill of nation-building. People of the country know everything. They will be rejected," he added.

(With inputs from agencies.)