After adopting a belligerent stand against senior ally partner Bharatiya Janata Party, Apna Dal (Sonelal) has toned down its rhetoric against the saffron party, saying it has no plans to field its candidate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is our leader and it is beyond our imagination to field a candidate against him,” said Ashish Singh Patel, president of Apna Dal (Sonelal) here on Saturday.
“We have nothing against the Prime Minister or the Central leadership of the BJP. We are troubled by the arrogant and insulting behavior of the leaders of state BJP. The statement of senior Cabinet minister Suresh Khanna that the dissidence of Apna Dal and Suheldeo Bhartiya Samaj Party will have no impact on the electoral prospects of the BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections is manifestation of the arrogance of the BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh,” Patel. said.
Patel denied that he gave a statement that the Apna Dal was planning to contest 10 Lok Sabha seats, including Varanasi, in 2019 general elections.
“The Apna Dal is a responsible member of the National Democratic Alliance and we have no plans to review our relations with the BJP and the NDA. There is no question of fielding our candidate against Prime Minister Modi nor are we in touch with any other party in this connection. We will contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as part of the NDA,” the Apna Dal (Sonelal) leader said.
Patel however, said his party had not yet decided which Lok Sabha seats it would contest.
Demanding intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, the Apna Dal (Sonelal) leader said, “The OBCs (Other Backward Classes) and Dalits had overwhelmingly supported the BJP in 2017 UP assembly elections but today we see that the same government is ignoring both the communities. We expect the Prime Minister and BJP president to issue necessary instructions to the BJP state leaders and those leading the government in UP. The outstanding issues can be settled only with the intervention of the central BJP leadership’’.
“We demand that station house officers of at least 50 per cent police stations should be from Dalit and OBC communities so as to ensure redressal of grievances of all sections of society by the police,” Patel said.
Quoting a specific instance of how the administration is ignoring and even insulting the leaders of the allies, the Apna Dal leader said, “I am trying to speak to the District Magistrate of Allahabad (Prayagraj) for the last five days but I have not been able to establish contact with him.”
He added, “Our party workers are being harassed by the government officials and our complaints go unanswered and this clearly suggests that our party and cadre are being insulted in a systemic manner.”