Maya jolts Cong again, asks BSP MLA in K’taka govt to resign

LUCKNOW : Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Thursday gave another jolt to the Congress plan to form a grand alliance of the opposition parties for the 2019 Lok Sabha election by directing the party’s lone MLA in Karnataka assembly N Mahesh to resign from the HD Kumaraswamy cabinet.

A senior BSP leader, who does not wish to be named, said the resignation of Mahesh has diminished the chances of BSP entering into a pre-poll alliance with Congress for the Lok Sabha election.

He said ‘Behanji’ has already snubbed Congress in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

“The BSP has decided to go solo in MP and Rajasthan, whereas in Chhattisgarh it has tied up with former chief minister Ajit Jogi’s JCC,” the BSP leader said.

BSP contested the assembly election in Karnataka in alliance with JD (S). After the polls, Congress announced support to JD (S) leader HD Kumaraswamy. Later Congress joined the government as well.

“Before the crucial Lok Sabha poll ‘Behanji’ does not wish to give a confusing signal to the party cadre that in other states she had ruled out alliance with Congress but joined hands in Karnataka,” the BSP leader said.

He further said the BSP will contest the by-poll on three Lok Sabha and two assembly seats in Karnataka in alliance with JD (S). Rather than going for alliance with Congress, the BSP has decided to join hands with regional parties to form a Third Front, he said.

“BSP has already entered into alliance with INLD in Haryana, JCC in Chattisgarh, JD (S) in Karnataka. Talks are going for alliance with SP in UP and JMM in Jharkhand as well as in other states,” he said. To give a boost to the BSP effort, leaders of the regional parties have announced to project Mayawati as prime ministerial candidate in 2019 Lok Sabhaelection. Payingtributeto party founder Kanshi Ram on Tuesday, Mayawati had said that she will not beg for seats for prepoll alliance with Congress in the Lok Sabha election. “If Congress fails to offer respectable number of seats then BSP will contest the election on its own,” she had said. She also directed party leaders to start preparation for the Lok Sabha polls. She directed office bearers in UP to identify leaders involved in antiparty activities and expel them from the party.

Zonal coordinator Sunil Kumar Chitaur said the party has expelled ex-MLA Zamirullah in Aligarh and zonal in-charge of Aligarh Hemat Pratap Singh. The office bearers of Hathras unit, including Lallan Babu, RR Gola and JP Sagar, have also been shown door.