In fight against BJP, Lalu to strengthen SP in 2017

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RJD’s national general secretary Ashok Singh, who is also state party president, claims that their objective to support SP is to ensure the defeat of BJP in upcoming Assembly polls.

The party’s Uttar Pradesh unit, that had been sidelined for the past several years, got a major morale boost after the Bihar poll victory. “Bihar results proved that Lalu ji has acceptability among the masses. We are going to turn it into a wave against BJP across the country. It will begin from UP where the party will work to strengthen SP in 2017 Assembly polls,” said Ashok Singh.

In order to achieve that, Singh said, “The party will show its significance in the state by holding agitations against the Modi government and other events in which ministers from Bihar will also take part. We have to create an anti-BJP atmosphere in UP and then support SP”.

Further, he said the RJD has activated its cadre in the state and various former MPs and MLAs associated with the party have been asked to start movements using the party symbol. In 2012 Assembly elections, the RJD had contested on four seats but suffered a complete washout.
Singh added that RJD and other constituents of the Grand Alliance regard Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) in great esteem and both Lalu and Nitish Kumar had conveyed this in their first press conference after the Bihar poll results.

Asked whether RJD will contest UP Assembly polls in 2017, Singh said, “To remove arrogant BJP from power, it is necessary that our votes are not divided at any cost. It is not necessary that RJD contests in UP but it will surely strengthen SP because it is ruling in the state under the able leadership of Akhilesh Yadav”.
Admitting that law and order situation in UP was a cognizable issue, Singh claimed that a lot of development work has also been done by the Akhilesh government, which was a plus point for SP against the “communal and caste” agenda of BJP.

SP had contested 146 seats in the Bihar polls after walking out from the Grand Alliance but failed to win any seat. However, the RJD state chief said, “Party will move on to reunite SP, JD(S), NCP, INLD and others to develop an alliance against the BJP”.

Meanwhile, SP leader Shivpal Yadav has said that they would welcome the the RJD chief here as a ‘samdhi’ (relative).

Mulayam’s grandnephew had married RJD chief’s daughter earlier this year, an event which saw the most powerful political families of UP and Bihar coming together.
“The people of Bihar has given him (Lalu) the mandate. The voters have exposed the BJP government at the Centre and Modiji, of his fake promises on the development plank,” Shivpal said.

On being asked how would Lalu distinguish the work done by the SP government from that of the Centre in the constituency, Shivpal said, “Our (SP government) works are clearly visible, we have carried a lot of development work in three and half years of our rule, but where is the work of the Central government here? The Centre has not even transferred the share of UP government. We have spent more then Rs 1,000 crore on the infrastructure in the city. But the Centre’s much-publicised Ganga rejuvenation and smart-city projects have not even took off,” he alleged.

On the possible tie-up between RJD and the SP in the 2017 elections, Shivpal said that the “matter rests with the top leadership”.