Sensing a defeat against Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Varanasi, Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad has now announced that he would not contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi.
Bhim army chief Chandrashekhar Azad on Wednesday decided not to contest, saying his outfit will support the SP-BSP alliance as Dalit vote should remain intact to defeat the BJP.
Ironically, the Dalit leader declared that he will support the Mahagathbandhan if they field Satish Chandra Mishra, the Brahmin face of the BSP and also the general secretary of the BSP supremo Mayawati.
Recently, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati had lashed out at Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad on Twitter calling him a BJP mole. She had alleged that Chandrashekhar contesting from Varanasi seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections is a BJP conspiracy to divide the Dalit vote and take advantage.
Earlier, the Bhim army chief had accused Mishra of misleading Mayawati and conspiring against the Dalit group.
“I have decided not to contest from Varanasi because I do not want that my decision should strengthen the BJP or Modi in any way. We all want to defeat the BJP,” he said. Chandrashekhar had earlier said that he won’t contest from the seat if his candidature “strengthened” Modi.
Chandrashekhar Azad had reacted to Mayawati’s statement, said, “Our own people are calling us agents of the BJP, but I still want her to become prime minister.”
Earlier, at an event to mark BR Ambedkar Jayanti in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow, he had targetted Mayawati saying that the “real well-wisher” of Dalits was Bhim Army and not Mayawati.
In the past, he had also attacked Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav for giving promotion to officers who inflicted atrocities on Dalits.
“His (Akhilesh) father says in Parliament that he wants Modi to become prime minister again. They are agents of the BJP, not me. They call me an agent for questioning them. Yes, I am an agent of B R Ambedkar. If my own people were not in my way, I would have shown you (Akhilesh) that if we can vote you to power, we can pull you down too,” he had said.
Chandrashekhar Azad had announced at a rally in the national capital last month that he would contest against PM Modi from Varanasi and had welcomed the support of all parties, including the Congress, to take on the BJP.
Recently, Chandrashekhar Azad had threatened to indulge in violence by resorting to similar acts like Bhima Koregaon violence if their demands are not met. Interestingly, he had made these threats a day after he had met Congress General Secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh (East) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
