Media was hostile towards BSP during election: Mayawati

LUCKNOW: Accusing the media of having adopted a hostile attitude towards the BSP during the recently concluded UP assembly elections, party chief Mayawati on Saturday announced that no BSP spokesperson would participate in any television debate or media programme from now on.


Two days after the election results were declared and the BSP managed to win just a single seat, the party chief said: “On instructions from their owners, the biased and casteist media did everything possible to harm the Ambedkar-inspired BSP movement during this election, a fact which is not hidden from anyone.”

“In this situation, party spokespersons have been given new responsibilities. All party spokespersons, Sudheendra Bhadouria, Dharmveer Chaudhary, Dr MH Khan, Faizan Khan and Seema Kushwaha will not participate in television debates from now on,” she added.

A day earlier, when the party issued its first formal reaction to the disappointing election results, Mayawati had said that an incorrect perception was created and spread by the media and opposition that BSP had given up the fight against BJP and was its B team while SP was the only real challenger to it. This message reached BSP supporters who ended up voting for SP and her votes got split, she said.