In an apparent snub to the Congress-led UPA Government, the Bahujan Samaj Party, led by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, has decided to skip the UPA Government’s fourth anniversary dinner on Thursday, citing the Central Government’s indifference towards the BSP-led UP Government.“How can we attend the dinner hosted by the Government which has so far ignored the demands of funds for development for UP, despite several petitions by the CM,” said BSP’s Rajya Sabha member Ambeth Rajan.The development comes after the UPA Government decided to invite the principal opposition party in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party, which has been sending signals to call a truce with the Congress following the heightened acrimony between the two parties in the wake of the UP Assembly elections last year.In fact, last year, the party was not invited to the dinner.Samajwadi Party leaders have already indicated their willingness to attend the dinner on Thursday. The thaw in the relations between the two parties has not been well received by the BSP, which has also not been well disposed to AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s forays into the state, where he raised objections to the Mayawati Government’s development record, and attempted to woo Dalit sections.
