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Journalism of Courage
BSP chief Mayawati ruled out speculation on an alliance with the Congress today, releasing the list of BSP candidates for 75 of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. Her intentions of cutting into Mulayam Singh Yadav8217;s votebank came clear too 8212; 65 per cent of the seats went to non-Dalit candidates. The list includes 17 Muslim candidates, 20 candidates from the backward castes and more than a dozen upper caste Brahmin and Thakur candidates.
Mayawati said her party would go it alone in the Lok Sabha polls but was cryptic on a post-poll alliance with the BJP. 8216;8216;I will decide after discussing with my party and will take a decision in the interests of the bahujan samaj,8217;8217; she said.
For instance, Mayawati has all but ensured the victory of BJP state president Vinay Katiyar from Lakhimpur-Kheri by putting up Dawood Ahmed instead of a Kurmi candidate, which could have cut into his votes.
In Allahabad, HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi8217;s constituency, she has put up R.K. Singh Patel, an OBC candidate, who will undermine the SP8217;s votebank. She has put up a Brahmin, Shivprakash Mishra, in Pratapgarh, a Rajput-Thakur bastion. There8217;s help for Sonia Gandhi too 8212; there is a Brahmin candidate against her in Amethi.
Mayawati criticised the Congress leadership8217;s 8216;8216;lack of wisdom8217;8217; for seeking an alliance with her party while it continued to support the SP government. 8216;8216;You cannot sail in two boats at the same time. They should have withdrawn support on their own,8217;8217; she said.
Mayawati said she had no problem with Sonia Gandhi8217;s 8216;foreign origin8217; as it was upto the people to decide. But the Congress could no longer hope for an alliance even if it did withdraw support to the Mulayam government, she said. 8216;8216;It is too late now, we have already released our list. This is politics, not child8217;s play.8217;8217;
