Yogi Govt Doing Revenge Politics, Secular Parties Should Join Hands: Shivpal Singh Yadav

Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (PSP) chief Shivpal Singh Yadav has accused the Yogi Adityanath government of indulging in revenge politics after Uttar Pradesh ATS arrested Islamic scholar Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui in an alleged illegal conversion case. Shivpal Singh, speaking to reporters in Aligarh, on Thursday, alleged that the BJP government was harassing its opponents in the state. He also made a call for all like-minded political parties in Uttar Pradesh to come together in the upcoming state assembly elections to defeat the BJP.

The 66-year-old politician, who left the Samajwadi Party and formed his party after the 2017 assembly elections, said had he been part of the SP during the last elections, it would have been ruling three states including Uttar Pradesh.

Shivpal Singh and his nephew Akhilesh Yadav were involved in a bitter feud before the 2017 assembly elections. Akhilesh managed to take control of the party from his father Mulayam Singh. Shivpal Singh also wielded influence in Samajwadi Party by being a confidante of brother Mulayam.

Shivpal Singh, however, said that his less than the five-year-old party is now ready to fight the upcoming assembly elections. He asserted that the PSP has built organisational strength in 75 districts of the state. Shivpal Singh claimed that the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh has completely collapsed. People’s woes, he said, have become worse due to rising inflation and corruption. The BJP government has lost its goodwill in Uttar Pradesh, he added.

He also urged all secular and like-minded parties in Uttar Pradesh to join hands for ousting BJP from the state. Shivpal Singh, however, dodged questions on aligning with Samajwadi Party.

The PSP chief said his party’s priority is to fight the elections in alliance with various secular parties. When asked if there was a possibility of an alliance with SP, Shivpal told reporters that they better ask this question of Akhilesh.

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and Ukraine-Russia War Live Updates here.