Mayawati throws a spanner in Opposition unity, says boycott of new Parliament building inauguration unfair

Nineteen Opposition parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Samajwadi Party, Aam Aadmi Party and the Left, had jointly announced on Wednesday their boycott of the inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying they find no value in the new building when the “soul of democracy has been sucked out”. Also, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) separately announced to boycott the event.

In a series of tweets in Hindi, she said, “Whether it was a Congress government at the Centre in the past or it is that of the BJP at present, our party has always supported them on issues related to the country and public interest, rising above party lines. We welcome the inauguration of the new Parliament building in the same context.”

“The boycott call over not getting the new Parliament inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu is unfair. The government got built it and therefore it has the right to unveil it. It is also unfair to link this with tribal women’s dignity and respect. They should have thought of this while fielding a candidate against her (Murmu) and get her elected unopposed,” the BSP leader said in another tweet.

She added, “I have received invitation for the inauguration ceremony for which and extend my best wishes. But due to my scheduled engagements due to review meetings of the party, I will not be able to attend the function.”

The BSP president is currently holding review meetings of different state units concerning her party’s preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. On Thursday, she held a meeting of the party’s Maharashtra unit.

Later, Girish Chandra, BSP leader in the Lok Sabha, clarified, “The party president (Mayawati) in her tweets has welcomed the inauguration of the new Parliament building. But the party MPs will attend the ceremony only after getting the go-ahead from her. I am waiting for her directive on this.”

Another party MP said, “From the tweets, the message is clear that we can attend the ceremony. But no one is bound to do it.”

In the Presidential elections last year, the BSP had backed Murmu, the BJP-led NDA candidate who became the first tribal to occupy the post.

Mayawati had then hit out at Opposition parties for not inviting the BSP to the meetings in which the names of probable candidates were discussed before they agreed to field former Union minister Yashwant Sinha. Mayawati had then termed Opposition’s attitude as “anti-BSP” and “casteist”.

Later, she had announced her party’s support to NDA’s candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar in the vice-presidential elections.

A BSP functionary said the party was not going to gain anything by staying with the Opposition given that these parties had ignored it in the past. The BSP had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh in alliance with the Samajwadi Party but Mayawati broke the alliance a few days after the election results were declared.