Congress satisfied with explanation of Dalit leaders over Mayawati visit: Avinash Pande

The Congress party has accepted the explanation of two Dalit leaders who visited BSP chief Mayawati's residence without permission, calling their response satisfactory.

The Congress on Thursday said it was satisfied with the explanation given by two of its Dalit leaders over their unauthorised visit to BSP chief Mayawati's Lucknow residence earlier this week, where they were turned away without being granted a meeting.

Congress's Uttar Pradesh in-charge Avinash Pande told PTI that the party had given an opportunity to the leaders to explain their position and found their response satisfactory.

''They explained that they had gone to the BSP supremo's residence as a goodwill gesture. They have also assured that they would remain careful in future regarding any such initiative. The party is satisfied with their explanation,'' Pande said.

The controversy erupted after the Congress Scheduled Caste Department's national chairman, Rajendra Pal Gautam, and the department's Uttar Pradesh president and MP Tanuj Punia, along with other leaders, visited Mayawati's residence on Tuesday evening but failed to get an audience with her.

The Congress subsequently issued show-cause notices to the leaders, terming the visit ''unauthorised''.

Pande had earlier told PTI that the visit was not an authorised delegation from the party, though the Congress held Mayawati in ''high esteem''.

Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had also said the party leadership did not approve the visit, and that such meetings were normally cleared well in advance.

Amid speculation over possible political outreach to the BSP ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, Punia denied reports that the leaders had gone to convey any message from Rahul Gandhi.

Punia had told PTI that the visit was merely an ''impromptu courtesy call'' made after a meeting of the Congress' SC wing in Lucknow.

''Our party office is close to the BSP chief's residence. And as we were passing by, we thought of making a courtesy call on her as she belongs to the same community and is a senior leader,'' he had said.

Gautam had also maintained that the visit carried no political overtones and was undertaken in a spirit of goodwill.

The episode had sparked political attention as it came hours after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav reiterated that his party's alliance with the Congress would continue in future elections.

Speaking at an event in Lucknow on Tuesday, Yadav had said the alliance formula for future elections would be based on ''victory, not seats''.

''There will not be a question of seats in the alliance. Even during the Lok Sabha elections, I had said that the issue was not about seats; the issue was about victory. The same formula will work again,'' he had said.