A day after reports of some suspended BSP MLAs meeting with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav surfaced, BSP chief Mayawati on Wednesday said it is an illusion.
In a series of tweets, she attacked the Samajwadi Party (SP) accusing it of being an expert in "narrow politics".
"The Samajwadi Party, which is an expert in narrow politics of despicable manipulations, malice and casteism, is publicising through the media that some BSP MLAs are breaking away to join the SP. This is an intense illusion," she tweeted in Hindi.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief said that those MLAs were suspended from the party long back for colluding with the SP and an industrialist during the Rajya Sabha elections for defeating a Dalit candidate.
She added, "Had the SP been even a bit honest towards these suspended MLAs, it would have not kept them in lurch. The SP knows that if these MLAs join their party, then there will be a rebellion and disunity in SP, whose leaders are eager to cross over to the BSP."
"The SP has always been anti-Dalit and they do not want to improve. This is why the SP government had stopped the welfare works undertaken by the BSP. Bhadohi was not made a new district as Sant Ravidas Nagar, which is extremely condemnable," Mayawati said in another tweet.
She alleged that the "drama" of publicising the meeting of suspended BSP MLAs with Yadav is a new "stunt" by the SP ahead of the upcoming zila panchayat elections.
"BSP has emerged as a party to fulfil the aspirations of the people in Uttar Pradesh and it will continue to do so," she tweeted.
On Tuesday, at least five MLAs suspended by the BSP last year met Yadav, triggering speculation that they may join his party.
Handia legislator Hakimlal Bind said he, along with Chaudhary Aslam Ali, Mujtaba Siddiqui, Hargovind Bhargav, Aslam Raini and Shushma Patel met the SP chief.
The two other suspended legislators are Ramveer Upadhyay and Anil Singh, he said.
However, Hargovind Bhargav had told PTI that he was not present at the meeting. "I was in Sidhauli (his Assembly constituency) and did not go there. I also saw my name being flashed on news channels," he said.
Mungra Badshahpur MLA Sushma Patel had told PTI, "The meeting with Akhilesh Yadav, which lasted for 15-20 minutes, witnessed discussions on the upcoming UP Assembly elections."
When asked about the future course of action, Patel said, "Personally, I have made up my mind to join the Samajwadi Party."
In October 2020, seven BSP MLAs were suspended by party president Mayawati. Apart from the MLAs whose name cropped up with regard to the meeting with the SP chief, Vandana Singh is the seventh legislator to be suspended.
Earlier this month, Mayawati had expelled BSP's legislative party leader Lalji Verma and Akbarpur MLA Ram Achal Rajbhar.