Mayawati confirms BSP won’t attend BJP bhagao, desh bachao rally in Patna

Bahujan Samaj Party national president Mayawati on Thursday confirmed to media that the BSP will not be attending Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav much-hyped 'BJP Bhagao, Desh Bachao' rally in Patna's Gandhi Maidan on August 27.

The RJD's rally is being seen as an attempt to forge a larger alliance of like-minded parties to counter the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Mayawati said,''RJD has been told that BSP will share the stage with a party only if it's decided in advance which party will contest on how many seats.''

Earlier, Lalu had offered Mayawati a Rajya Sabha seat from Bihar. A senior BSP leader said that Lalu had called on 'behanji' (Mayawati) on Sunday to urge her to participate in the rally. Lalu also told her to play a leading role in the formation of the anti-NDA alliance. "She did not commit and might depute a senior leader to attend the rally," he said.

 On Wednesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party had appealed to the RJD to postpone its rally in view of the grim flood situation in the state, a request Lalu Prasad Yadav rejected wondering how will it help the affected population.