BSP is also trying to keep the Congress president Sonia in good mood and she expects SP honeymoon with Congress will be cut short as Mulayam is flexing his muscles to become a third front PM candidate .Already Maya is facing CBI enquiry and lot of cases pending against her in various courts keep centre happy is a good line to tow.
BSP chief Mayawati stayed away from Thursday’s strike, fearing Muslim backlash possibly because she was apprehensive of being branded as close to the “communal BJP”. She called upon her supporters to refrain from joining the protest, because she thinks the BSP won only 21 seats in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls because the Muslims didn’t support the party.
Muslims account for 18 % of UP electrorate and UP govts are formed with just 28% votes and they constitute a very important segment.
On Tuesday, she was quoted as saying in a meeting of party leaders that in 2009, the SP had succeeded in its game-plan to portray the BSP as a friend of the “communal BJP”. Ram Achal Rajbhar, the BSP’s state president, said although Mayawati was against FDI in retail and rising prices of petroleum products, she decided not to waste the energy on a protest which could send a wrong signal.
“Our leader will take a final decision in the executive body meeting on October 10 on extending support to UPA. A day before, she can announce something at the Sankalp Maha Rally in Lucknow on Kanshi Ram’s sixth death anniversary,” he said. But a senior BSP leader said Mayawati will not withdraw support to the UPA because she can’t afford to let the SP come close to the Centre.