Miffed over the failed merger with Samajwadi Party, Mokhtar Ansari’s Qaumi Ekta Dal (QED) hit out at the ruling party and accused Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav of sabotaging the move for branding hisself as `Mr Clean’.
The QED maintained that the SP cadre were disappointed by the anulled merger and the CM was unnaware of the groundswell of resentment among his ranks in east UP.
"The SP has cheated me. They stabbed us in the back. They first called for the merger and then they reneged. It was a deliberate attempt to malign the image of Mokhtar Ansari,’’ charged QED president Afzal Ansari.
"The ruling SP will have to pay a heavy price for this in the 2017 Assembly polls. The QED will bring the SP to its toes and show them their true place in the politics of east UP,’’ said Ansari at a press conference in lucknow on Tuesday.
The QED leader informed that a meeting of the party has been called to decide over the future course of action at Mau on July 8. The party will contest at least 55 seats in the 2017 Assembly polls.
"In 1994, when Mulayam Singh Yadav came to Ghazipur, I had joined the party along with my supporters at a huge public meeting. Even then the SP had cheated me and history was repeated in 2016,’’rued Ansari.
"Both the SP and the BSP have been using Mokhtar's Ansari clout in the last two decades. They have termed him as `messiah’ and `mafia’, as per their political convenience. Now we will show them our strength in eastern UP,’’promised Ansari.
"I did not seek the merger. Cabinet minister Balram Yadav and former minister Ambika Choudhary came to my lucknow residence seeking the votes of two MlAs of my party for the polls of Rajya Sabha and legislative Council. They also arranged my meeting with Shivpal Yadav and Mulayam Singh on June 11. The SP chief thanked me for the support of and requested the merger of my party to prevent division of the votes in east UP,’’ said the QED chief.
"Mulayam Singh reminded me of my stint with the party and also reflected on having food cooked by my mother at our Gahzipur home. He then pressed me for a `home coming’ and merger of the QED with the SP,’’ claimed Ansari.
"But an arrogant son prevailed over his father and uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav on the advice of a TV channel that it was an opportune moment to brand his image as 'Mr Clean'. It is laughable that the SP chief and his brother were not aware of the ideals of politics being pursued by Akhilesh Yadav," lashed out Ansari.
The QED chief accused the CM of being `arrogant’ and acting like an errant prince. Stopping short of calling him a 'Duroyodhan' of Mahabharata, Ansari said, "Mulayam Singh is like the helpless father of Hastinapur, who has little control over the whims and fancies of his son.’’
"I do not find any logic as to why Akhilesh opposed the merger as he was aware of our meeting with his father and uncle. Besdies, he is the state SP chief and must have been in the loop of decision making,’’ questioned the QED leader.
Praising PWD minister Shivpal Yadav, Ansari said, "He is like Hanuman for Mulayam Singh and worships the SP chief as his god. Akhilesh shrugged off the deal to marginalise his uncle as foresees him as a future threat.’’