Meerut: In a sharp attack at Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad who has announced to contest from Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has dubbed it “a conspiracy by BJP to divide Dalit votes”.Azad had announced earlier this month that he will contest the general elections from Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency.“With the ill-intention of dividing Dalit votes & taking advantage, the BJP has conspired to field Bhim Army chief Chandrasekhar from Varanasi LS seat. This organisation was formed under BJP conspiracy & with its anti-Dalit mindset, it is now indulging in despicable politics,” Mayawati said in a tweet on Sunday.She also appealed to her supporters to overthrow BJP.“The BJP tried hard to help Bhim Army chief Chandrasekhar join the BSP as its mole but failed in its conspiracy. It is very imperative in the national interest to dislodge autocratic, despotic anti-Dalit, OBC & minorities BJP from power. Pls ensure no vote goes waste,” she said in a subsequent tweet.Reacting to this, Kamal Walia, Bhim Army’s national general secretary, told TOI, “We respect her but this only shows her dictatorship, her ‘Hitlershahi’. Mayawati is rattled by the growing prominence of Chandrashekhar among Dalits. She doesn't want any other Dalit leader to grow.”“She has given patronage to people like Satish Mishra and when we do something, we are branded as product of BJP. We are complete supporters of BSP, BSP is our party and we are ardent followers of Kanshi Ram,” Walia said.Later, in a statement, the BSP chief said, “Each and every vote of the Dalits is important to remove the arrogant, autocratic, casteist and communal BJP from power. This should not be allowed to go waste, so that one regrets in future and life does not become hell.”Azad launched his Lok Sabha campaign with a roadshow in Varanasi on Saturday. He accused Modi of only favouring the rich and "harassing" small borrowers and poor. The Dalit leader declared at the roadshow that the countdown to Modi's defeat had begun.Chandrashekhar had announced his candidature from Varanasi soon after his meeting with Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi at a hospital in Meerut. The Congress and Mahagathbandhan are yet to announce their respective candidates from the PM’s seat.

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