PTI
 
LUCKNOW, Mar 15: Lashing out at BSP supremo Mayawati, the Samajwadi Party on Sunday said that if BJP's L K Advani becomes PM after the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, she would become the deputy PM as the two parties are "bhai behen ki sathi" (companions as brother and sister).

"In the past Mayawati had formed government in UP thrice with the support of the BJP. Her rakhi relation with Lalji Tandon (BJP's candidate from Lucknow in the coming elections) is well known. Therefore, I say that if Advani becomes the country's prime minister, then Mayawati will be the deputy prime minister," SP general secretary Amar Singh said here while addressing party workers.

"Kamal ho ya Haathi, bhai behen ka sathi" (Whether it be lotus (symbol of BJP) or Haathi (elephant - BSP's poll symbol) they are companions as brother and sister), he said adding that the same Mayawati, who was trying to become secular and has joined the Third Front, campaigned for Narendra Modi in Gujarat.

Criticising the BSP chief, Singh alleged that the BSP had fielded the maximum number of candidates with criminal antecedents and its slogan "Chadh gundon ki chhati par, mohar lagao hathi par" (Stand on the chest of criminals and stamp on the elephant) has changed to "Gunde chadh gaye hathi par, goli lagegi chhati par" (Criminals are riding the elephant and bullets will hit your chest).

Alleging that Mayawati treated politics as business, Singh said that she took money for granting tickets to party candidates and now she wanted to become PM by giving her support to the Third Front.

Doubting the secular credentials of the newly formed Third Front, Singh reiterated that no secular government could be formed at the Centre without Sonia Gandhi.

"For them (Third Front) it is not secularism versus communalism. It only about opportunism," Singh said adding that constituents of the front such as Chandra Babu Naidu, J Jayalalitha, Naveen Patnaik and Mayawati were all associated with the BJP some time or the other.

Singh also defended his party's association with Kalyan Singh claiming that it was done to weaken communal forces.

Clarifying on his party's relationship with the Congress, Singh said "hamare beech dil ka talmel hai, seeton ka ho na ho" (At heart we are one whether we have understanding on seats or not).

"If Congress wants to field its leaders like Salman Khursheed and Noor Bano, they are free. But Bhadohi assembly by-elections, where the Congress candidate forfeited his deposit by getting a meagre two thousand votes show the ground reality. The seat was won by the SP candidate despite misuse of official machinery by the BSP government," he said.