Mayawati hits out at 'deserters'; says party gaining ground in UP

With some senior BSP leaders deserting the party in the recent past, party supremo Mayawati on Saturday said it will have “no impact” on the “growing mass support” of the outfit.

Stating that BSP considers several issues before giving tickets to capable candidates, Mayawati said, “BSP is a social movement besides being a political party and it has to take into account several issues before giving tickets. Some sitting MLAs and MPs are also denied tickets.

“The missionary workers remain in the party even after being denied tickets but some others go to other parties to serve their selfish motives ...but their move is not going to have any impact on the growing mass support of BSP,” she said in response to those leaving the outfit for want of party tickets.

Putting in a stern word for media, the BSP chief said, “They (media), however, project these reports as if BSP is going to suffer huge losses but it has been seen that all this has no effect and the party keeps gaining ground.”

Mayawati said in view of the 2017 UP Assembly election, tickets are being given after considering all aspects and some dozen odd sitting MLAs have been denied tickets on the basis of “unsatisfactory reports from their areas, their work and efforts to connect the party with the ‘sarv samaj’ (public)”.She said such MLAs were informed about the decision three months ago.

Hitting out at BJP, which opened its door to two of BSP’s main deserters Swami Prasad Maurya and Brijesh Pathak recently, Mayawati said it only proved the “bad shape” of the saffron party in Uttar Pradesh.

“It has become public knowledge that there is dearth of candidates in the BJP, like it had in Bihar. So it (BJP) was giving tickets to the new entrants who have been wooed by ‘misusing’ the central government, especially the ones leaving BSP,” she said.