Terming Congress and BJP as “Saanpnath” and “Naagnath” (snakes), BSP supremo Mayawati today stated that she would prefer to be in the opposition rather than form government in alliance with either of them in Chhattisgarh.
“We are confident of winning an absolute majority. There is no question of taking support from anyone. Even if we don’t get a majority, we will sit in opposition but will not go with either the BJP or Congress,” she declared.
Mayawati, who was likely to contest the assembly elections in alliance with Congress in 3 out of five poll bound states, and was in talks with the party in September, accused it of neglecting the marginalized, the poor, the farmers and labourers.
As she could not get ‘respectable number of seats’ by Congress, she dropped the party and went on to form alliance with Ajit Jogi’s Chhattisgarh Janta Congress, further denying any tie-up with it in either Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh.
She had earlier made the “Saapnaath-Naagnath” comment, in 2016 in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh polls.
However, her ally in Chhattisgarh, Ajit Jogi showcased a different thought on forming a post poll alliance with BJP if the need be.
On being asked the same, Jogi had stated, “In politics you can’t rule out anything. Anything can happen”.
When he was asked whether Mayawati would approve of a tie-up with the BJP, Mr Jogi said, ” We are solely operating for our alliance. I’ve not talked to her head to head regarding her equation with BJP or the Congress. That’s what I read in newspapers.”