Congress' Udit Raj clarifies 'strangle' BSP chief Mayawati remark

New Delhi: Congress leader Udit Raj on Wednesday clarified that his remark that BSP chief Mayawati strangled the Bahujan movement and now the time has come to "strangle her" means people should "recognise her and leave her".

Taking to social media platform X, Raj wrote in Hindi saying he wondered whether the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) people have brains.

"In the press conference, I said Ms Mayawati has strangled the Bahujan movement and now the time has come to strangle her. The Bahujan movement was strangled, meaning Mayawati did not cut anyone's throat with a sword.

"I said in one sentence that Mayawati ji strangled the movement and now the time has come to strangle her, meaning people should recognise her and leave her," he wrote.

The Krishna and Arjun episode came up because of Justice Sabhajeet Yadav, the patron of Doma (Dalit, OBC, minorities, Adivasi) Parisangh, Raj mentioned.

"He called me Arjun and I respectfully called him Krishna. At the same time, he said this is an example.

"I further said now there is no Mahabharata period when swords were used. Just as drowning in a handful of water is an idiom, my statement was like that," he said, adding that who should explain to these wise people? He claimed that the BSP supporters are not excited to save reservation, the Constitution and other rights. He alleged that B R Ambedkar was insulted by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament on December 18 last year and the BSP protested on December 24. They did not do it on time and they are wasting energy on a factless matter, he further claimed in his post.

Giving references to Mahabharat, Raj told reporters in Lucknow on Monday that during the Mahabharat war, Arjun asked Lord Krishna how he would kill his cousins and relatives. "Lord Krishna said there are no cousins and relatives; fight for justice and kill your own people".

"Today, my 'Krishna' has told me that first kill your enemy. And the enemy of social justice, that Ms Mayawati, who strangled the social movement... now the time has come to strangle her," he added.

Responding to questions about his remarks, Raj told PTI on Tuesday, "The movement of the Bahujan community was strangled... crores of cadres, who built the party by staying hungry and thirsty... this Bahujan movement was strangled by her (Mayawati)." "On this, when the media asked me questions (on Monday), I said definitely, she too should be strangled politically. What I meant was political death and nothing else," Raj clarified.

BSP general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra on Wednesday condemned Raj's comments targeting his party chief Mayawati, calling them "disgusting, shameful, insulting and reprehensible".

"The disgusting, shameful, insulting and reprehensible statement made by senior Congress leader and former MP Udit Raj on Hon'ble Sister Kumari Mayawati is not only an insult to her, but a strong attack on the dignity of the Dalits of the entire Bahujan Samaj and self-respecting Indians," Mishra said in a series of posts on X. PTI NIT NIT KSS KSS