Mayawati explains why SP-BSP did not include Congress as alliance

Lucknow, Jan 12: BSP supremo Mayawati in a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav explained why both the parties did not include Congress as an alliance.

Mayawati said, " Moreover, we won't gain anything by including Congress in our alliance. Both BSP and SP have experienced in the past that Congress's vote is not transferrable."

"Why we didn't take Congress in the alliance? Let me tell you post-independence, Congress was at Centre and in many states. Even then corruption, poverty were rampant. Congress and BJP at Centre are one of the same things. Both the parties have done defence embezzlement in their tenure. Congress lost due to Bofors, BJP will lose because of Rafale," said Mayawati.

She further said that when it comes to SP and BSP, votes get consolidated successfully. "We believe that we will dethrone BJP at the Centre, provided that BJP does not go for tampering with EVMs like before, " she added.

Both leaders addressed a join-press conference for the first time after they gave contours of an electoral alliance ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.