Mayawati warns Muslims to stay 'cautious' of SP, Congress; says INC ignored Dalits' plight in Bangladesh

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati launched a scathing attack on the Congress party on Saturday, accusing it of remaining silent on the suffering of Dalit Hindus in Bangladesh while focusing on Muslim voter concerns in India.

In a press conference in Lucknow, Mayawati alleged that the Congress was prioritising political gains over the welfare of Dalits, particularly in the context of the ongoing atrocities against them in Bangladesh.

Mayawati claimed that the majority of Hindus facing persecution in Bangladesh are Dalits, many of whom belong to a Hindu-majority region that was transferred to Pakistan during the Partition.


She suggested that the move to cede this area to Pakistan was in retaliation for the region’s election of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar to the Constituent Assembly of India. The BSP leader criticized the Congress for its role in the Partition, which she said had led to the suffering of Dalits in Bangladesh.

“The Congress, despite being the main opposition party, is silent on the plight of Dalits in Bangladesh. It is raising a ruckus in Sambhal to win Muslim votes but has failed to address the grave situation of Dalits in our neighbouring country,” Mayawati said. “In this matter, Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), and their allies are all the same. They are cut from the same cloth.”

She called on the BJP-led central government to take responsibility for the safety and security of these Dalits, urging that steps be taken to bring them back to India.

“The central government should step in to resolve this issue and work with the Bangladesh government to ensure their safe return. If the BJP fails to act, we will believe there is no difference between the Congress and the BJP when it comes to the plight of Dalits,” Mayawati said.

The BSP leader also expressed disappointment with opposition parties like Congress and SP for focusing on divisive issues rather than addressing national concerns.

She claimed that these parties were using the ongoing violence in Sambhal to appeal to Muslim voters, accusing them of stoking communal tensions.

Mayawati warned that this was part of a broader strategy by these parties to exploit communal divides for political gain.

“These parties are making the Muslim community fight among themselves, dividing Turks and non-Turks. The Muslim community must be cautious about this,” she said.

Mayawati also pointed out that Dalit MPs from these parties remained largely silent on issues of Dalit oppression, both in India and abroad, in an effort to appease their party bosses.

The BSP chief’s remarks come amidst heightened tensions in Bangladesh, where there have reportedly been over 200 attacks on Hindus across 50 districts since the fall of the Awami League government in August.

The violence in Bangladesh, Mayawati argued, has been ignored by the opposition, even though it has been impacting a vulnerable section of the population – Dalit Hindus.

The political environment in India has also been charged following the violence in Sambhal on November 24. The incident occurred during protests against a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque, after a petition claimed that a Hindu temple once stood at the site.

The Congress and SP have accused the ruling BJP of stoking communal unrest by highlighting temple-mosque issues, while the BJP has maintained that opposition parties are trying to inflame tensions.

The BJP has urged those dissatisfied with the court’s order to seek legal recourse instead of engaging in protests.

As political narratives continue to unfold around the Sambhal incident and the situation in Bangladesh, Mayawati’s remarks underscore the growing tensions between major political players in Uttar Pradesh and the broader national discourse on Dalit rights and communal politics.

(With inputs from PTI)