India News | No Talks Underway to Include BSP in INDIA Bloc: RLD Chief Jayant Chaudhary

Baghpat (UP), Dec 24 (PTI) No talks are underway to include the BSP in the opposition INDIA bloc, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary said on Sunday.

Asserting that seat distribution among the constituent parties of the INDIA alliance will happen soon, he said, "Till now, no party has made any claim in this regard."

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The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief, who was here to launch the Samrasta campaign from Aheda village, was asked about the possibility of the BSP being included in the INDIA bloc.

"We are not talking to the BSP. Media is running news but the BSP has to decide on this," he replied.

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"BSP chief Mayawati has been saying from day one that she does not want to join the INDIA bloc. She cannot be included in the alliance by force," Chaudhary said.

When asked about the controversy over Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's mimicry by a TMC MP in the Parliament complex, the RLD chief termed the act a satire and said that caste-related words were not used.

A political row has broken out as Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee derisively mimicked Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar during the opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament against the MPs' suspension, drawing strong condemnation from the ruling BJP. Rahul Gandhi was seen making a video of the performance by Banerjee who appeared to mimic the way Dhankhar walked by leaning forward and made reference to having a spine.

To a question on the Sports Ministry suspending the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for not following the provisions of its own constitution, Chaudhary said the government withdraws decisions only under pressure.

When players returned their Padma Shri awards, action was taken, he said.

The WFI elections were held on December 21 with former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's loyalist Sanjay Singh and his panel winning the polls by big margins. This had prompted protests by wrestlers who had earlier levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan.

Brij Bhushan had denied any wrongdoing.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)