Mayawati thanks Yogi at mega rally, but claims BJP, SP, Cong have ‘secret alliance’

BSP supremo Mayawati, addressing a mega political rally at Kanshi Ram Sthal — a memorial to the party founder — in Lucknow to mark his death anniversary, said on Thursday (October 9) that her party was grateful to the current Yogi Adityanath government for allowing the money raised through tickets to be used for the maintenance of the memorial.

“When our government was in power in Uttar Pradesh and this memorial was built in honour of Kanshi Ram, our government had made a provision to collect tickets from visitors. The money would be used to maintain the memorials and parks built in Lucknow. But the sad truth is that before the current BJP government, the SP government was in power here, and the SP government withheld the ticket money. The condition had deteriorated significantly,” she said while addressing such a big crowd after nine years.

'Grateful to BJP govt'

“I wrote to the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, requesting that the ticket money be used for maintenance. The current BJP government in Uttar Pradesh took cognizance of this matter and promised that all the money received through tickets would be used for the maintenance of these sites. Therefore, our party is grateful to them (the BJP government),” she added.

Mayawati said that when they (Samajwadi Party) are in power, they neither remember the PDA (backward, Dalit, minorities), nor Kanshi Ram’s birth anniversary, nor his death anniversary, but when they are out of power, the Samajwadi Party remembers that they should hold a seminar.

“I want to ask Akhilesh Yadav, if you had so much respect for Kanshi Ram, then when we were in power in Uttar Pradesh, we created a district called Kasganj in the Aligarh division, and that district was named after Kanshi Ram. Why did the Samajwadi Party change its name as soon as it came to power? We named numerous institutions after Kanshi Ram, and started numerous schemes, which the Samajwadi Party stopped as soon as it came to power... If this is not their double standards, then what is it?”

'No one gave us justice'

However, in the same vein, she accused the rival political parties of forming a “secret alliance” to prevent her outfit from returning to power in Uttar Pradesh. “After the BSP formed a full-majority government in Uttar Pradesh in 2007, the way our government worked for the welfare and happiness of the people... increased our influence across the country. Seeing this, all casteist, narrow-minded and capitalist parties secretly joined hands to ensure that our party never returned to power in the state,” Mayawati said.

She alleged that these parties got so scared after her victory that they “made sure that the BSP could neither return to power in Uttar Pradesh nor expand across the country”. “In every election — be it Assembly or Lok Sabha — the Congress, BJP, SP and other rival parties have secretly united and used various tactics to stop the BSP. Wherever the BSP was winning, they transferred their votes to defeat us,” she said.

“The remaining gap was filled by manipulation in the EVMs. There has been widespread opposition to the EVM system, and given the current situation, it could be scrapped anytime. There is a strong possibility that the paper ballot system may be brought back,” she said.

Akash Anand speaks too

This rally is being seen as a “comeback” rally for the BSP in Uttar Pradesh politics. Strict security arrangements have been made for the rally. People started arriving in Lucknow since Wednesday for the event, which is expected to last about three hours.

The rally began with Mayawati paying floral tribute to Kanshi Ram. Her nephew Akash Anand, who was recently appointed as the national coordinator, also addressed the crowd.

Akash Anand said, "...She (Mayawati) supported Kanshi Ram in all difficulties and walked the path of Babasaheb Ambedkar. She dedicated her life to empowering crores of Dalits, tribals, backward classes and other communities. Even after the demise of Kanshi Ram, Behenji is dedicated to carrying forward his incomplete caravan. We are grateful to her for this."

Also read: Amid changing political landscape, can Maya's BSP reclaim lost ground?

Mayawati blames rivals for Dalit vote split

Mayawati has returned to the stage at a time when the BSP’s vote bank has largely been split up among its rivals. The party bagged only one seat in the 2022 assembly elections and zero seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh. The organization of Mayawati’s rally at this time is seen as a signal of the BSP's future politics.

Naming no outfit in particular, the BSP leader said her rival parties floated new political units to divide the Dalit votes. “They used selfish and sell-out individuals from within our own society to create many small parties and organisations,” she said, and warned her supporters not to fall for them.

“The Congress, BJP, SP and other opposition parties will use every conspiracy and trick to stop us — but we must defeat them with unity and hard work,” the four-time Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, exhorting her supporters to strengthen the party’s base and be watchful and organised. “We must be ready for all upcoming elections, including in Bihar and other states.”

The slogan “Chalo Lucknow” was given for the BSP rally. Streets adorned with blue flags were seen filled with supporters heading towards the rally site since Wednesday night. The BSP president reportedly set a target of gathering five lakh people for the rally.

Keenly watched

There was enthusiasm not only among BSP supporters but also among opposition parties and the ruling BJP. Senior journalist Rachna Saran said, “Everyone will be watching Mayawati’s address. The reason is that her supporters want her to make a comeback. She has been silent for a long time or has only communicated through press statements or social media.”

This rally was expected to signal BSP’s politics ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and reflect the party’s strategy. The reason is that after the success of the SP’s PDA in the Lok Sabha elections, Mayawati faces challenges regarding the Dalit vote.

Meanwhile, the SP-Congress has continuously tried to label the BSP as the “B-team” of the BJP. Senior journalist Manmohan says, “If the party in-charges have been given the responsibility to bring in crowds, this will also be a test for them. In this scenario, glimpses of how the BSP’s future journey will be will be seen in this rally.”