Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said that there was no place in the opposition INDIA bloc for any political party which in the past had close association with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Akhilesh Yadav said this in response to speculations over Bahujan Samaj Party being included in the INDIA bloc.

In an apparent jibe at the UP Congress leadership for claiming that they were preparing to contest all 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh said, “Why only 80? They may contest many more seats across the country. The Congress deserves to decide how many seats they want to contest, but when it comes to the INDIA bloc, the decision will be taken by the Congress national leadership. When discussions are being held at the national level, then such questions should not come up. Such questions not only spread confusion but also create a rift in the alliance.”

The SP president was hopeful that the INDIA coalition would win the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“The public will come in support of INDIA and it will win. Also, the BJP will suffer its worst defeat in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.

Akhilesh Yadav also attacked the BJP government in the state over the murder of a doctor in Sultanpur, allegedly by a cousin of the district president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, over a property related dispute.

The SP chief said: “Bulldozer’s steering is in the BJP hands. Whenever any BJP person is at fault, then the bulldozer’s keys get misplaced. Wherever there are murders over land disputes, the BJP’s people are involved.”

Akhilesh Yadav added that he attempted to visit the slain doctor Ghanshyam Tiwari’s family but the police did not allow him citing law and order issue. Akhilesh was in Sultanpur on Monday to express condolences to the family of former SP MLA Abrar Ahmed, who died of ill-health in August.