Against Modi, pit leaders like Akhilesh, Mayawati or back me: Bhim Army chief to SP-BSP

Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad Friday "welcomed" support of all parties, including the Congress, to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi and appealed to the SP-BSP alliance to either back his candidature or field their top leaders from the constituency.

The Dalit leader's comment came two days after Congress general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met him at a hospital in Meerut.

The BJP is yet to announce the candidature of Modi from Varanasi, the eastern UP seat from where he had won in 2014.

Talking to PTI after he addressed a rally in Delhi along with BSP founder Kanshi Ram's sister Swarn Kaur, Chandrashekhar said, "The SP and the BSP should support my candidature from Varanasi to take on Modi. Else, my condition is, they should field any one among Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati. We are supporting the SP-BSP alliance in 79 other constituencies from Uttar Pradesh, they should support us in one seat...I don't want Modi to win again from Varanasi."
Asked if he would also seek the support of the Congress, he said, "Whoever is ready to fight with us against the BJP is welcome."
Referring to incidents of violence and atrocities against the Dalits in different parts of the country, the young leader said, "A tyrant is a tyrant, he can never be a well wisher... That's why I said we can repeat (the Battle of) Bhima Koregaon...The need for it has not arisen yet, but we can do it if the Constitution comes under attack."