BSP supremo Mayawati asserted Tuesday that her party will rather fight elections on its own than "beg" for seats in any alliance. Her comments assume significance as she had last week called off talks with the Congress to fight the upcoming assembly polls in three states together as it did not agree to part with as many seats for the BSP as she demanded.


A Bahujan Samaj Party statement quoting her also lashed out at the Congress and the BJP, saying the BSP will never compromise with the self-respect of the Dalits, tribals, backwards, Muslims, other minorities and the upper castes' poor irrespective of the "malice and torture" of the governments run by these two parties. That is why the BSP has put forth the condition of being given a "respectable number" of seats to enter into an electoral alliance, Mayawati said, according to the statement. "What it clearly means that the BSP will not beg for seats in any alliance. If this (respectable number of seats) does not happen, then it will continue to fight polls on its own," she said.


Speaking on the occasion of the death anniversary of the BSP founder Kanshi Ram, she said neither the Congress nor the BJP works in the interests of the upper castes' poor and the remaining majority. Mayawati, however, also added that her party will continue to strive to oust the Bharatiya Janata Party government, describing it as casteist, communal, arrogant, malicious and narrow-minded.-- PTI