Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dubbed Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati's appeal to Muslims to vote for her party and partner Samajwadi Party (SP) as a "desperate attempt to save a sinking ship" and called their alliance a “fight for survival”.

In an exclusive interview with News18 Network Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, PM Modi said Mayawati’s desperation was understandable from her outreach to Muslim electorate, but the silence of secular people has exposed their "selective outrage".