Maya accuses Cong of duplicity for continuing alliance with Sena

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, accusing it of practising double standards by keeping its alliance intact with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra despite the Hindutva party’s support to Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019.

In a series of tweets, Mayawati questioned why Congress was still with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra which toed a different line on Savarkar.

“The Shiv Sena remains committed to its core agenda. The party backed the Centre on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. The party is now opposed to the Congress’ stand on Veer Savarkar. But the Congress party is still with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. This act only shows Congress’ duplicity. What is it if not double standards?” she asked in a tweet in Hindi.

In one of the tweets on Sunday, Mayawati said that the Shiv Sena “supported the Central government on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill” and is now “intolerant” of the Congress opinion on Savarkar.

“Despite this, the Congress is still supporting the Shiv Sena in the Maharashtra government.” she said.

Mayawati asked the Congress to clear its stand on the matter as the party is supporting Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and at the same time having different views.

Mayawati said that it would hurt the Congress most and termed it as a drama to divert the people’s attention.

“Therefore, the Congress should clarify its stand on alliance with the Shiv Sena, otherwise it will be considered a diversionary tactic by them to divert the people’s attention from their very own party’s weaknesses,” she added.

The Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress formed a post-poll alliance in Maharashtra last month to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party out of power in the state.

While the Shiv Sena in the run-up to the elections promised to recommend Savarkar’s name for Bharat Ratna, the Congress was opposed to it.

The controversy involving Savarkar reignited on Saturday when former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, during a rally in Delhi, said, “The BJP asked me to apologies. My name is not Rahul Savarkar, it is Rahul Gandhi and I will never apologies for speaking the truth.”

This he said while turning down the BJP’s demand to apologies for his ‘rape in India’ remark and apparently referring to the allegation that Savarkar tendered apology to the British for securing early release from jail.

Soon after this, the Shiv Sena asked its ally to exercise caution and described Savarkar as an idol of the whole country. “Every such idol must be revered. There is no compromise on this,” Sena leader Sanjay Raut tweeted.