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BSP to have no truck with Congress or BJP

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Kanshiram ruled out any alliance with the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party at the national level while indicating that his party may tie up with the Communists and Janata Dal in some states.

Talking to the media in Bombay, Kanshiram said the BSP had emerged as the third force after the Congress and BJP and hence did not want to support either parties. ''Our aim is to throw both these parties out,'' he added. He claimed that political instability will help intensify the dalit movement and predicted that the country will face elections again in November 2000.

Kanshiram, who is on a three-day tour of Maharashtra, said he wanted to discover a base for his party in the state and in neighbouring Gujarat. ''There was an enthusiastic response to my visits to Surat and Vadodara. I plan to tour Mumbai, Thane and Bhiwandi in Maharashtra'', he added.

Lambasting the Samajwadi Party, Kanshiram said it was restricted to Uttar Pradesh. He claimed that Muslims in Uttar Pradesh were supporters of the BSP and would teach the SP a lesson in the coming elections. In Bombay and surrounding areas, the SP's base was restricted to pockets with a UP Muslim population, and this time around even they won't support it, he exclaimed.

The BSP chief charged that ''during the last 50 years, there was rampant misuse of money, media and mafia power. Rich man's notes manipulated the poor man's votes.'' Clarifying his party's stand in bringing down the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, he said the BSP's role was restricted to ousting the government and had nothing to do with forming an alternative. ''We want frequent elections as it is in the interest of the 'bahujan samaj','' he added.

Meanwhile, BSP leader Mayawati ruled out the possibility of forging an alliance with any party in Uttar Pradesh in the coming elections. Talking to newsmen, she said her party had decided to contest on its own all 85 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Mayawati alleged that the Samajwadi Party and the BJP had a clandestine understanding. The BSP has never considered itself close to either of these parties, she added. The policies of Mulayam Singh Yadav had not only helped the BJP but also failed to protect the interests of the minorities, Mayawati said. Joining hands with his party, which was helping the communal forces, was unthinkable for the BSP, she asserted.

She also criticised the Congress leaders, saying they were talking about the possibility of an alliance with the BSP while in fact her party had had no talks with them in this regard.

UNI

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