Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre while participating in the United India rally organised by Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Saturday.
Addressing the mega rally of opposition leaders, the SP chief said, “Whatever happens in Bengal will spread all over the country.... When the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party announced their alliance on January 12, many people still doubted that a mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) would happen. Today this rally will give out a message to the people of the country.”
He said the coming together of the SP and the BSP had spread happiness in the country and left a worried Bharatiya Janata Party holding meeting after meeting to devise a strategy to win even one seat in Uttar Pradesh.”
Yadav also sought to give a reply to the BJP questioning the opposition parties about their prime ministerial candidate. “BJP leaders take a dig at us and often say that we have so many contestants for the post of prime minister. They (BJP leaders) often say that we have so many grooms (dulhas), however, the one who is chosen by the people will be the PM. The BJP has let down the people of the country in many ways and has worked towards disturbing the communal harmony of the nation,” said Akhilesh Yadav, who reached Kolkata on Friday evening along with senior Samajwadi Party leaders.
Yadav said while opposition parties had entered into alliance with the common people, the BJP had forged ties with the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate. The SP chief sat on the dais next to BSP general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra, who participated in the rally as a representative of his party chief Mayawati.
Speaking on the issue of an alliance, Akhilesh Yadav said, “At the moment we just have an alliance of a few parties. We have learnt from the BJP the art of alliance. That is why we have brought together the beauty of the nation together. We have more space to accommodate more parties. You (BJP) have an alliance with 40 political parties and have allies like CBI and ED as elections approach near.”
“Ever since our (BSP-SP) alliance was announced, the BJP leaders are holding meetings to find out how they can win even one seat in Uttar Pradesh. If Tamil Nadu can make BJP zero in their state then other states can do it as well,” he added.
Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh and his son Jayant Choudhury, who are engaged in discussions with the SP on seat-sharing in UP, were also present on the stage. Yadav said the people across the country were celebrating the arrival of the New Year and this happiness would increase manifold when they would have a new prime minister.