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Is INDIA an alliance at national or state level, Akhilesh asks Cong
If the alliance is not at the national level, it would not be at the state level in future; SP will contest all the 80 Lok Sabha seats with full responsibility, says Yadav
KANPUR/LUCKNOW In a first since the formation of the INDIA bloc in July, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav took a tough stand against the Congress, asking it to clarify whether the opposition parties’ alliance was at the national or state level, and emphasised that his party would contest all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP in the 2024 polls.
Yadav’s strong stance towards the Congress came ahead of the crucial assembly elections in five states scheduled next month, and in the backdrop of the grand old party’s alleged refusal to accommodate the Samajwadi Party in the seat-sharing in Madhya Pradesh.
“If the alliance is not at the national level, it would not be at the state level in future. The SP will contest all the 80 Lok Sabha seats with full responsibility,” Yadav told media persons in Kanpur.
“We neither care about conspiracies nor pay heed to rumours,” he said, adding that the SP would win maximum number of seats with its PDA (Pichdda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) equation.
Yadav made the statement to newspersons on the sidelines of an event organized by the All-India Yadav Mahasabha.
“Some accuse us of perpetuating caste-based politics, but those who practice it, face no accusations. Dr Ambedkar aimed to eliminate the caste system…we are making progress in that direction, but are not entirely successful yet,” he said.
Yadav also promised to extend support to the family of Babu Singh, a farmer in Kanpur’s Chakeri, who allegedly committed suicide recently. In his purported suicide note, the farmer had accused a BJP leader of grabbing his land. The SP chief said allegations suggested that BJP leader Priya Ranjan Ashu Diwakar conned Babu Singh and didn’t make payment for his prime land.
He said, “Bulldozers are sent for every minor issue…but in this case (farmer suicide), no action was taken. If the government has run out of fuel, we’re willing to hire bulldozers for a day…Babu Singh’s family should get financial assistance of ₹50 lakh.”
Before leaving for Kanpur earlier in the day, Akhilesh Yadav announced his party’s manifesto for the MP assembly polls, promising caste census and free laptops to meritorious students, among other things.
This came amid the SP blaming the Congress for delaying a decision on seat-sharing while the UP Congress accused the SP of being impatient.
Aspiring to expand the party beyond UP to get national status, the SP has declared candidates for nine seats in MP. It will field more candidates ahead of the nomination filing date. Nominations for the November 17 Madhya Pradesh poll will begin on October 21 and end on October 30.
In its manifesto, the SP has promised 300 units free electricity, benefits to various caste groups as per their share in the population, 27% reservation to backwards, Samajwadi Pension for women, 1090 emergency response system for women’s safety, re-introduction of the old pension scheme among others.
The party on Sunday announced candidates on nine seats, namely, Nivadi, Bijawar (that it won in 2018), Rajnagar, Bhaander, Dhauhaani, Chitrangi, Sirmaur, Katangi and Sidhi. MP has 230 assembly seats.
It is now likely that the SP and the Congress will also face each other in the state.
“The Congress did not even leave the Bijawar seat that the SP won last time,” said Udaiveer Singh, a senior SP leader and former MLC.
“We were expecting some seats, but the Congress on Sunday declared the candidates on over 140 seats, including Bijawar. So, the SP went ahead with its original poll plan for the MP. The MP unit will be happy to contest as many seats as possible for expansion of the party,” Udaiveer Singh said.
He said SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had a talk with Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath, but the Congress began declaring seats without giving any seats to the SP.
On the other hand, CP Rai, a UP Congress spokesperson, said: “The SP took a hasty decision. They should have waited a bit…not all the seats were declared. Anyway, the INDIA bloc is for the Lok Sabha polls, not for the state polls.”
UP Congress Committee (UPCC) president Ajay Rai said the Samajwadi Party should extend full support to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh. “The SP has no support base in MP and the party’s only MLA there joined hands with the BJP. An electoral understanding would be reached once discussions on the issue are held at the national level,” he said.
