Setback For Opposition, Mayawati Says BSP Will Not Attend Lalu's BJP Bhagao Rally In Patna

Mayawati had been a trenchant critic of dynasty politics, targeting the Samajwadi Party, and the Congress when it suited her. (Photo: PTI/File)

In 1998, the party had fielded 108 candidates and secured 2.17 per cent vote share. In 2003 elections, the BSP fought in 124 constituencies and won two seats and increased its vote share to 3.98 per cent. . (Photo: PTI/File)

Mayawati also blamed BJP for the suicide of Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad and the Una case of Gujarat where some Dalits were assaulted resulting in outrage and protests.(Photo: PTI/File)

Airport security of Lalu Yadav and Rabri Devi withdrawn/ PTI image

"Presently BJP and company is in government in the state and at the Centre and will use all tactics to defame secular opposition parties or weaken them also by misusing government machinery...the EC is also wary of their anti-democratic stance to win elections," Mayawati said. (Photo: PTI/File)

The former chief minister said that BSP never compromises on self respect, and enters into an understanding only when it feels that it is getting respectable number of seats. (Photo: PTI/File)

"BSP is not against the joint struggle or alliance between secular parties but all this need to be carried out with good intentions and full honesty...the experience of last Assembly election in Bihar proved how some parties had parted ways at the last time over seat sharing," she said. (Photo: PTI/File)

"BSP has clearly told the RJD that it will share the dais with any regional or national party only when it is decided beforehand on how many seats will go to which party in the secular alliance...Before finalising any secular programme the policy and principle of seat sharing should be decided (first) as the life of an alliance is dependent on it and all should get respectable number of seats," she told newspersons. (Photo: PTI/File)

"As far as the issue of taking part in the Patna rally is concerned, BSP's concern is that there should be no distrust among the people and there is no tiff between the secular parties on the issue of seat sharing even if this rally turns out to be a success...there are cases of back stabbing in the past and it must be ensure that eventually the BJP does not gain from it," she said. (Photo: PTI/File)

The RJD chief is criss-crossing Bihar to mobilise people for the August 27 rally, which he has claimed would be a major occasion to bring together the secular forces on one platform against the BJP ahead of the 2019 polls. (Photo: PTI)