At Pratapgarh rally, Modi highlights different approaches of SP, BSP on Congress

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday highlighted something that most people have been missing so far – the difference in the approach of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and its Uttar Pradesh ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Congress. Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh, the prime minister said that while the Samajwadi Party uses soft approach when it comes to the Congress, the BSP takes on the Grand Old Party in a more blistering way.

“Congress leaders are happily sharing stage with Samajwadi Party in their rallies, these people have betrayed Behenji (BSP chief Mayawati) so cunningly that even she is not able to comprehend,” Modi said during the rally.

While both the Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party and Maywati’s BSP are fighting the Lok Sabha elections in an alliance, their approach against the Congress, who could not be part of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance despite several efforts, has been a little different and it was quite evident.

During their joint rallies, while SP chief Akhilesh Yadav centres his attack around the BJP and PM Modi, the BSP chief equally takes on the Congress as well as the BJP. Mayawati has even threatened the Congress of pulling out her party’s support from its government in Madhya Pradesh.

The remarks of the prime minister are also significant in view of recent statement from some of the BJP leaders praising Mayawati. BJP MP from Rajya Sabha Subramanian Swamy had recently said that in case the BJP-led NDA fails to get full majority, Mayawati could become the prime minister and won’t support the Congress.

Mayawati has been in alliance with the BJP in 1995, 1997 and 2002. And experts believe that there are chances that the BSP, despite their anti-BJP alliance with the SP and the RLD, could again go with the saffron party.

During his rally, the prime minister also said that the Congress party, which was staking claim to the PM post before the first round of polling has now become a “Vote Katua (vote cutter)” party.

He was referring to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi’s remark that the Congress has carefully chosen its candidates to eat up the votes on the BJP where the party thinks its chances of winning are bleak.