Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday responded to Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati’s statement calling him a ‘chameleon’.

Mayawati, while announcing her decision of BSP contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections alone, warned her party leaders to be careful of Yadav, alleging he ‘changed colours like chameleon’ to mislead them’.

“Party workers need to be aware of how SP (Samajwadi Party) chief changed his attitude towards the BSP chief like a chameleon, to mislead BSP regarding the INDIA alliance,” she had said on Monday.

Responding to her attack, the Samajwadi Party chief said,”The Samajwadis have always made efforts to unite all the parties. A lot of rumours were being spread through newspapers and television. We will always strive to strengthen the INDIA alliance and include more parties into its fold.”

“As far as the Bahujan Samaj Party is concerned, Samajwadis accorded respect. I remember the time when Samajwadis took the resolve that the Prime Minister should be from the section that has faced the evils of society for several years,” Yadav was quoted by PTI as saying.

“Samajwadi Party was dreaming of making (her) the PM, and we worked towards it. But this language… she is talking about ‘changing colours’. She must be saying so because of being under pressure,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.

The BSP’s decision to contest Lok Sabha elections alone has jolted INDIA bloc’s efforts to bring it to the fold.

“”Regarding the elections, I want to make it clear again that our party will fight the the Lok Sabha polls alone on the strength of the poor and marginalised sections, especially Dalits, tribals, Muslims and people of other religious minority communities,” Mayawati had said.

The BSP had fought the 2019 elections in an alliance with the SP under the ‘mahagathbandhan’. Each of the parties had contested 38 seats in Uttar Pradesh and did not field their candidates against the Congress in Amethi and Rae Bareli seats. While the BSP had won 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh, the SP had won five seats under the ‘mahagathbandhan’.