Mayawati shreds SP, Cong, BJP in mega rally; says BSP doesn’t need allies for comeback

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, who is eyeing a comeback after staying on the sidelines of Uttar Pradesh politics for over a decade, on Thursday (October 9) minced no words while attacking rivals and spelling out her party’s plans to return to power.

Addressing a massive rally in Lucknow on the death anniversary of BSP founder Kanshi Ram, Mayawati, whose BSP has been accused of being the ‘B team’ of the BJP by the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress, didn’t spare the saffron party in her attacks while making it clear that the SP remains its “chief political rival.”

The BSP rally, held every year on Kanshi Ram’s death anniversary, was seen as crucial for the party’s political comeback. Political observers noted that Mayawati would use the occasion not only to outline the BSP’s future strategy but also to energise the cadre ahead of the upcoming panchayat polls and the 2027 Assembly elections.

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Sharpest attack for SP, ‘PDA empty talk’

In her speech, Mayawati systematically laid out the party’s political agenda, attacking the SP, the Congress, and the BJP alike — while unexpectedly thanking the Yogi Adityanath government for maintaining BSP-era memorials.

Launching a scathing attack on SP, she accused it of dismantling welfare schemes launched under BSP rule and even of withholding revenue collected from ticket sales at Dalit pride memorials built by her government.

In contrast, she praised the Yogi government for repairing and maintaining those monuments. “I wrote to the chief minister, requesting that the revenue from tickets at these parks and memorials be used for their upkeep. The BJP government took note and assured us that all such funds would go toward maintenance. For that, our party is thankful,” she said.

Also read: Mayawati gears up for mega rally after 9 years. Is a comeback plan in the offing?

Taking aim at SP’s much-publicised PDA formula — which it claims will unite backward classes, Dalits, and minorities — Mayawati dismissed it as hollow rhetoric. “Now the SP talks about PDA — all empty words. They remember Dalit icons and saints only when out of power,” she said, adding that the SP government had reversed the decision to rename Kasganj district after Kanshi Ram.

‘Congress’s Save Constitution campaign a farce’

Turning her ire on the Congress, Mayawati invoked the Emergency era, accusing the party under Indira Gandhi of “crushing the Constitution” and denying BR Ambedkar his due recognition.

“It was the Congress that did not allow Babasaheb to enter Parliament and never honoured him with the Bharat Ratna,” she said.

Thousands of supporters from Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Haryana, and Delhi attended the BSP rally. Mayawati accused the Congress of hypocrisy, saying, “These parties hold up Babasaheb’s Constitution just for show. In reality, they have no concern for Dalit welfare.”

She also reiterated her claim that EVM manipulation had played a role in BSP’s past defeats.

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

Intent to go solo in polls

Mayawati also made it clear that she is not inclined toward forming alliances. “We must form a full-majority BSP government in Uttar Pradesh on our own,” she declared. “After the BSP came to power with a majority, casteist parties like the Congress, BJP, and SP conspired to stop us from reaching the Centre. Later, they used EVMs against us — even though elections can very well be held with ballot papers,” she said.

Without naming Azad Samaj Party chief Chandrashekhar Azad, Mayawati alleged that “self-serving and opportunistic people from within the same community” were being used to divide the BSP vote. “Such parties and people are working to split Dalit votes. Not a single vote should be wasted on these selfish, sell-out groups,” she warned.

Also read: Mayawati’s flip-flops put Akash on perpetual shaky ground in BSP

Chants party’s core slogan

Reiterating the BSP’s core slogan, “Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay” (for the welfare and happiness of all), Mayawati emphasised that the party would continue to work beyond caste lines. “Some people make comments about each other’s deities, but such things should not be turned into politics,” she said.

Before her speech, Mayawati paid floral tributes to Kanshi Ram. The rally also saw a key appearance from party national coordinator Akash Anand, who addressed the gathering for the first time since taking on his new role.

(This story was originally published in The Federal Desh)