Mayawati lambasted the media for targeting Mishra, the new poster boy of the party, saying people who were afraid that their misdeeds in the previous regime would come out in the open were behind the false propaganda.
She also made it clear to her detractors that if any leader of her party was opposed by outsiders, she would make sure that he got extra support and backing of the party. As first step, she said, Antu Mishra would be fielded from the Farrukhabad Assembly constituency, which is lying vacant since Vijay Singh was expelled from the party.