How Mayawati Is Distinguishing BSP From Other Opposition Parties, Let's Recall Recent Instances

Mayawati's recent announcement about not forming any alliances doesn't come as a surprise as the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has diverged from the common stance of the Opposition parties in many instances.

The most recent is the BSP's decision to abstain from participating in the discussion and voting on the National Capital Territory (NCT) Amendment Bill during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.

This bill aims to replace a controversial Delhi ordinance issued by the Centre to take over services from the Delhi government, which has become a contentious issue between the Opposition bloc and the Narendra Modi government.

Over the past year, the BSP's positions on various issues have contradicted those of the Opposition, impacting their collective efforts against the BJP.

The party was not invited to the first joint meeting of 16 Opposition parties held in Patna on 23 June.

A senior Janata Dal (United) functionary clarified that Mayawati was not invited because the BSP never expressed a desire to join the Opposition unity. The invitation was extended only to parties and leaders willing to form a united front against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Furthermore, the BSP was also excluded from the second joint meeting of 26 Opposition parties held in Bangalore on 17-18 July.

Mayawati had expressed skepticism about the seriousness of the Opposition's unity attempts led by Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar.

Last year, when Nitish met several senior Opposition leaders to form an anti-BJP platform, Mayawati's name was conspicuously absent from the list of leaders he met.

In another instance, when more than 20 Opposition parties decided to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building due to the absence of President Droupadi Murmu from the event, Mayawati welcomed the ceremony hosted by Prime Minister Modi.

She opined that boycotting the event was unfair and that the Modi government had the right to unveil the new Parliament as they had constructed it.

In the Presidential poll in July last year, the BSP supported BJP-led NDA's candidate Droupadi Murmu, criticizing the Opposition for not involving them in discussions about their potential candidates.

Mayawati defended her party's decision to support Murmu as an attempt to promote a hardworking and qualified woman from the tribal community to become the President.

Similarly, in the Vice-Presidential election held in August last year, Mayawati announced her party's support to the NDA's candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar, citing larger public interest and her party's movement.

Notably, when the Bhim Army chief and Azad Samaj Party president, Chandrashekhar Aazad, was attacked in Saharanpur on 28 June, the BSP refrained from commenting on the incident, while other Opposition parties strongly condemned it and questioned the law and order situation in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.

Chandrashekhar Aazad is currently in discussions with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) for a potential alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the 2024 elections.

Due to the above instances, the BSP has often faced criticism for acting as the BJP's B-team. However, it has made clear that it will neither form an alliance with NDA, nor INDIA.

Mayawati has also consistently maintained that the BSP's ideology is distinct from other Opposition parties.