Haryana Assembly elections: Mayawati urges Dalit leaders to break ties with Congress, 'casteist parties'

Ahead of the Assembly elections in Haryana, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati urged Dalit leaders to sever ties with the Congress and other “casteist parties”.

Ahead of the Assembly elections in Haryana, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Monday (September 23, 2024) urged Dalit leaders to sever ties with the Congress and other "casteist parties" and follow the path laid down by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

The comments come amid attempts by the alliance of the BSP and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) to position itself as a pro-Dalit alternative in Haryana.

In a series of posts on X, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister accused the Congress and other "casteist parties" of using Dalit leaders only in times of trouble and later marginalising them.

Haryana Assembly elections | An overview of the field ahead of the polls

She said in Hindi, "The political developments in the country so far have proven that the Congress and other casteist parties only remember Dalits during their bad days and appoint them as Chief Ministers or to other key organisational positions temporarily. But, in their good days, these parties mostly sideline Dalits and replace them with casteist individuals, as is currently being witnessed in Haryana," she added.

Mayawati also called on Dalit leaders to take inspiration from Ambedkar and distance themselves from such parties. "These humiliated Dalit leaders should be inspired by their messiah, Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar and detach themselves from these parties. They should also work to keep their communities away from these parties," she said.

Drawing a parallel with Ambedkar's resignation from the Central Government, Mayawati invoked her own decision to resign from the Rajya Sabha in 2017 over the violence against Dalits in Saharanpur.