Lucknow- Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader and former Chief Minister of UP, Mayawati, accused Congress of being a major obstacle to reservations. Taking to her social media handle, X, on Wednesday, Mayawati wrote, “Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s latest clarification that he is not against reservations is clearly misleading and a falsehood."

In a sharp rebuke, Mayawati pointed out that during Congress's decade-long rule before the BJP came to power, they actively collaborated with the Samajwadi Party to prevent the passage of the SC/ST Promotion Reservation Bill.

"Be cautious of their deception, as they will never be able to carry out a caste census in the future", Mayawati said.

She further added, “Their (Congress) talk of increasing the reservation cap beyond 50 percent is also a deception. Had their intentions been genuine, Congress would have implemented it during their previous governments. Congress neither implemented OBC reservations nor properly enforced SC/ST reservations.”

"It’s clear that when Congress is out of power, it makes grand promises about the welfare and interests of neglected SC/ST/OBC communities for the sake of securing their votes. But when in power, it consistently acts against their interests,” Mayawati stated in her X post.

She also stated, " Be wary of this latest drama by Rahul Gandhi, where he stated abroad that when India is in a better position, they will end reservations for SC, ST, and OBC communities. This clearly shows that Congress has long been plotting to eliminate reservations for these groups. The people from these communities should be wary of this dangerous statement made by Gandhi. If Congress comes to power at the center, they will use this very statement as a pretext to eliminate their reservations."

It’s worth noting that Mayawati’s statement surfaced on social media following a viral video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s controversial remarks on reservations during an interview in the United States.