Always been in favour of Congress-BSP alliance: Digvijaya Singh responds to Mayawati's snub

New Delhi: Clearing his stand, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday said that he has always been in favour of the Congress-BSP alliance. Instead, he blamed Mayawati for not forming an alliance with the grand old party in Chhattisgarh, despite talks. The Congress leader added that in MP too there were talks of an alliance, however, Mayawati declared 22 candidates.

"I've already made it clear that I respect Mayawati ji and has been in favour of Congress-BSP alliance from the beginning. In Chhattisgarh, there were talks for alliance but she didn't go for it. In MP too there were talks of an alliance, she declared 22 candidates," Digvijaya Singh said.

Calling himself one of the bitterest critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its president Amit Shah as well as RSS, Singh added, "Please ask her, as far as I am concerned, I had been one of the bitterest critics of Modi ji, Amit Shah ji, BJP and RSS. Rahul Gandhi is our Congress chief, we follow his directions."

The Congress veteran's statement comes after Mayawati lashed out at him claiming that the former does not want a Congress-BSP alliance. "Congress leaders like Digvijaya Singh do not wish for a Congress-BSP alliance. They are afraid of agencies like ED, CBI," she had said.

The BSP supremo called Singh a BJP agent and said, "Digvijaya Singh who is also a BJP agent is giving statements that Mayawati ji has a lot of pressure from Centre so she doesn’t want this alliance. This is baseless," the BSP supremo said.

In her address, Mayawati ruled out Congress-BSP alliance for Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections saying that her party will fight the assembly polls on its own. She clearly mentioned that there will be 'no alliance with Congress'.

"BSP will fight assembly elections in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh on its own. No alliance with Congress," Mayawati had said.

Her statement came barely months ahead of the State Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have been scheduled later this year, however, the dates are yet to be declared.