Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Wednesday said the people of India were confident that the Centre would “take the right decisions to keep the honour, pride and glory of the country intact and would never allow anyone to grab even an inch of land”, diverging sharply from her usual belligerence against the BJP.

“The news of the martyrdom of 20 Indian soldiers, including a colonel, in Ladakh during a clash with China is extremely sad and shocking, especially when the Indian government is trying to reduce border disputes and tensions between the two countries. The government now needs to take steps in the interest of the country with utmost vigilance and understanding,” Mayawati tweeted.

“The country is confident that the government of India will take the right decision at the right time to keep the honour, pride and glory of the country intact and would never allow anyone to grab even an inch of land. The good thing is that the entire country is united in such a delicate time, forgetting the shortcomings of the government. Now the government has to live up to the expectations of the people,” the BSP leader, a bitter critic of the BJP and its government who had earlier accused the ruling party of “anarchy” when the new citizenship regime was introduced, added.

While many pointed to a perceived softening of stance by the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister on the BJP, it is also true that politicians usually refrain from targeting the government in times of a national crisis such as the one arising out of the border tensions with China.

Earlier on June 13, Mayawati had surprised many by praising chief minister Yogi Adityanath. “The CM of UP recently took action in the case of the exploitation of a Dalit daughter in Azamgarh. It is a good thing. However, it would be better if quick action is taken in cases involving our sisters and daughters in the future,” she had tweeted.

Mayawati, a Dalit icon, had been referring to an attack on the residents of a Dalit hamlet in the Maharajganj area of Azamgarh on June 10 when they tried to rescue a girl being harassed by a section of affluent villagers. The state government had suspended the local police station in-charge and directed cops to book the 12 accused persons under the National Security Act, among other sections.