Shivpal: Alliance with Samajwadi Party first priority

Shivpal said his party was open to alliance with like-minded political parties with secular values. At present the top priority was to have an alliance with Samajwadi Party (SP). It would be good if this alliance between Samajwadi Party and PSP happened.

Agra Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party president Shivpal Yadav on Wednesday said that his first priority was to form an alliance with the Samajwadi Party in the upcoming UP assembly polls but he did not rule out the possibility of a tie-up with other “secular” parties.

President of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Shivpal Yadav waving to party workers in Agra on Wednesday before his ‘samajik parivartan yatra’ moved for Firozabad. Shivpal had earlier parted ways with the Samajwadi Party and formed his own party in 2018. (HT)

Shivpal Yadav, whose ‘samajik parivartan yatra’ had a halt in city on Tuesday night, interacted with journalists on Wednesday morning before moving on to Firozabad.

“Our ‘samajik parivartan yatra’ has begun from Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna and would end in Ayodha, the birthplace of Lord Rama. The yatra will move across all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh before ending at Ayodhya,” said Shivpal Yadav.

“We are open to alliance with like-minded political parties with secular values. At present our top priority is to have an alliance with Samajwadi Party (SP). It would be good if this alliance between SP and PSP happens,” said Shivpal who had earlier parted ways with the Samajwadi Party and formed his own party in 2018 after a feud with his nephew and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav.

When asked about separate inaugurations of ‘yatra’ by SP and PSP from different cities, Shivpal Yadav said that even if the alliance occurred, then also two parties got together with their own existence continuing.

Replying to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) performance in the state and at the centre, Shivpal said that both the governments failed to fulfill the promises they made to the masses.

“The BJP promised to end corruption in 100 days, bring back black money, double the income of farmers, provide 15 lakh to every citizen and get released land occupied by China but failed to fulfill any of these promises. The slogan ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas’ has fallen flat,” alleged Shivpal..

“We will now reach the masses through ‘samajik parivartan yatra’ and highlight failures of the BJP in keeping its promises. We will seek support of the masses so that PSP forms government and lodges war against ‘bhookh’ (hunger), ‘bhaya’ (fear) and ‘bhrashtachar’ (corruption),” said the PSP president.

“Farmers, youth and poor are facing difficulties during the present BJP rule and change is needed for which ‘samajik parivartan yatra’ will pave the way,” he said.