Atul Rai is a Victim of BJP’s Political Selfishness, Says Mayawati

The rape accused candidate has been absconding for over 10 days now.

File image of BSP chief Mayawati. 

(Photo: IANS)

BSP Chief Mayawati, addressing a rally in Mau on Wednesday, 15 May, called the rape accusations on the Mahagatbandhan candidate Atul Rai, baseless and false. She claims that Rai has been falsely framed by the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP).

The BSP supremo along with Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav vouched for the candidate and urged the people to vote for Rai, who is contesting from the Ghosi constituency.

Rai has been absconding for over 10 days now, after the Varanasi Court issued a non-bailable warrant against him.

“Now they [BJP] are in bad shape. In their political selfishness, without caring for the honour of our women, they have brought up cases that are one or two years old and have forcefully made women level false allegations.”

Mayawati, BSP Chief 

In April, a college student in Varanasi had accused Rai of sexually assaulting her. The victim said that she was taken by Rai to his house under the pretext of meeting his wife.

Along with vouching for Rai, the BSP leader also took a dig at Narendra Modi. She ridiculed his recent statement about him being a fakir aadmi (saint man) and alleged all of it to be false.

“He changes his caste every three-four days. I have been informed that sometimes he calls himself most Backward, sometimes poor and sometimes ‘fakir’. The truth is that he claims that he belongs to most backward when he is not even a backward.”

Mayawati, BSP Chief 

Talking in the same rally, the Samajwadi Party president referred to the attack on Congress MLA from Rae Bareli on Tuesday, 15 May and said that senior police officers are also now following the path of our PM Narendra Modi who preaches the idea of thoko neeti (go and shoot).

(With inputs from ANI)