Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati should make up her mind on whether she wants to fight the Congress or be with it, senior party leader and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said on Friday.
Addressing women Congress workers on the eve of the International Women’s Day here, she said a decision in this regard had to be taken by Mayawati. On whether the Lok Sabha elections would be advanced and held this year, Dikshit said: “There are no positive indications in this regard. This is everybody’s guess.”
To a question if Rahul Gandhi was being groomed to be the party’s prime ministerial candidate, she said the whole party was behind him. “But this is kite-flying by the media,” she added.
On the comments of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and MNS leader Raj Thackeray on ‘Marathi Manoos’, Dikshit said: “This country belongs to everyone. If they are talking parochial politics, they are not right.”
On CPI leader A B Bardhan’s views that the US was “blackmailing” India on the Indo-US deal, Dikshit said: “I do not think the US is trying to blackmail India. None can oppose the Congress saying it was ‘bowing’ to pressure from the US.” Asked why the Left parties were against the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, she shot back “ask them”.
“They have to answer to the people. I do not know their intention. Is there an intention to bring the communal forces back?” she said.
When asked about Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s recent re-election despite being labelled “communal” by the Congress, Dikshit said: “Modi turned out to be smarter. But that does not mean he is not communal or he is good for India.”
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