New Delhi:
The visit triggered political speculation in Lucknow on Tuesday after Gautam and Punia reached Mayawati’s residence on Mall Road and sought time to meet her. However, they could not meet the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister as they did not have a prior appointment.
The development reportedly irked several Congress leaders, prompting Pandey to seek an explanation. According to sources, Pandey asked both leaders to clarify their position and later posted Punia’s response from his own X handle.
Speaking to The Sunday Guardian, Gautam defended the visit. He said he was at the party’s Lucknow headquarters on Tuesday for a meeting related to the unveiling of a statue of Veer Passi in Rae Bareli on Wednesday, an event scheduled to be attended by the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
“We had left the party office for lunch around 3 pm with Punia and others. We were passing by her residence, so I decided to enquire about her health, as she is one of the senior leaders associated with the cause of Dalits and Ambedkar followers across the country,” Gautam said.
“The security staff at her residence noted our names and said they would convey our message to her, as we could not meet her without a prior appointment,” he added.
Asked about the timing of the visit, ahead of next year’s crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, and whether he wanted the BSP to join the opposition alliance, Gautam said, “We all know that Ambedkar ji gave us the Constitution. If the Constitution and democracy are destroyed, what will be left? I believe everyone fighting to save the Constitution and democracy must come together.”
He, however, insisted that the visit was “non-political”.
Congress insiders said the unplanned visit by Gautam and Punia had put the party’s ties with the Samajwadi Party under strain. One leader said the Congress was already preparing for the Assembly polls in alliance with the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, and such a “miscalculated step” could prove costly.
As part of the INDIA bloc, the Samajwadi Party and Congress had won 37 and six Lok Sabha seats, respectively, in Uttar Pradesh, while the BJP was reduced to 33 seats from 62 in 2019.
The Congress and the Samajwadi Party are now eyeing a comeback in the politically crucial state in next year’s Assembly elections.
