Seeking to strike a chord with the minority community, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL) leader Shivpal Yadav said the Ram temple should not be constructed at the disputed site at Ayodhya and the temple could be constructed across the Saryu river as the Uttar Pradesh government had no dearth of land.
Adopting a strident anti-BJP stance, Shivpal Yadav demanded imposition of the President’s rule in the State as prohibitory orders were defied in Ayodhya with impunity by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on November 25 where a Dharma Sabha was organised to demand the construction of temple.
“The Ayodhya case is pending in the Supreme Court. We should either wait for orders or find consensus. The UP Government has a lot of lands and the Ram temple could be constructed across the Saryu river. There should be no talks of the temple on a disputed land,” Shivpal Yadav said.
“The political parties these days are wary of talking about the Muslims and their issues and the Muslims are living in constant fear and tension over the safety and security of their lives and property,” said Shivpal Yadav while addressing a hugely-attended ‘Jan Akrosh Maharally’ on Sunday.
His brother Mulayam Singh Yadav, against all expectations, also attended the rally. Shivpal had a bad break-up with the Samajwadi Party after he was sidelined in the party by his nephew Akhilesh and later he floated PSPL. Aparna Yadav, the younger daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav also attended the rally.
Elaborating the reasons for floating the new political party, he said: “I was left with no option to chart a different course as I was being continuously humiliated in the Samajwadi Party which had been taken over by sycophants.” He added: “I have floated the new political party only after seeking the blessings of ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam Singh Yadav). I have worked with Netaji for the last 40 years and I never aspired for any position and office and I always followed the directives of Netaji. I only aspired for respect in the Samajwadi Party which was denied to me,” said Shivpal Yadav.
Seeking to resurrect the forgotten idea of social justice, PSPL leader said: “SCs, OBCs and Muslims should come on one platform to dislodge the BJP government at the Centre and Uttar Pradesh and this party has sowed the seeds of dissension in the society leading to social tension and communal trouble.” The PSPL leader said: “My party stands for peace, tranquillity and development while the sole agenda of the BJP is to draw the caste and communal faultlines for its narrow political ends.”