Two fringe parties, the Rashtriya Parivartan Dal (RPD) of DP Yadav and Mahan Dal of Keshavdev Maurya, have joined hands to contest the forthcoming lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring states of Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
In a joint press conference held here on Wednesday, Yadav and Maurya lambasted the Central and the UP governments for the present economic crisis and poor law and order. They also criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party for trying to whip up communal passion in the country.
The RPD president gave a hint that they could join other parties in future but refused to reveal the names. When specifically asked about the BJP, Yadav said he would not contest on BJP ticket but was ready to contest as an a BJP supported independent candidate from Badaun, Sambhal or Aonla lok Sabha constituencies.
“I was on the verge of joining hands with the Samajwadi Party during the last Assembly election but the situation changed after Akhilesh Yadav objected to my name even when Mulayam Singh Yadav, Ram Gopal Yadav and Mohammad Azam Khan were ready to give some seats to my party,” he disclosed. Maurya said that Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati was equally responsible for the scam in NRHM (National Rural Health Mission) scheme run in the state.
“If former BSP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha could be jailed for corruption, why was Mayawati sparedIJ” he asked. ‘’If Kushwaha is guilty of making money in the NRHM scam, Mayawati cannot be given a clean chit. How can a minister siphon money without the consent of the Chief MinisterIJ” he said. Maurya said several political parties, small and big, were ready to join hands with them and in the coming months their front would become an umbrella organisation of many political parties.