Shivpal Yadav floats new party- Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia)

Shivpal Yadav at the first membership drive of his new party, in Lucknow on Tuesday. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)

Samajwadi Party (SP) legislator Shivpal Singh Yadav on Tuesday announced the name of his new political outfit — Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) — after registering it with the Election Commission.  The announcement was made in Lucknow around two months after the Jaswantnagar MLA launched the Samajwadi Secular Morcha claiming he was being neglected by the new SP leadership. He had earlier declared that his new party would contest all 80 seats in the state in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking at a programme organised by his outfit, Shivpal targeted SP national president Akhilesh Yadav and the BJP. “I was pushed away but along with that, even netaji (his elder brother and SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav) was humiliated. All this happened because of those who are sycophants and snitches. I want you all to not get involved in sycophancy. You are free to speak when there is something wrong. You will have that freedom,” he said.

“There is an anti-people government at the Centre and state. The state and country are going backward. Law and order is worse and no one is listening to problems of the common man. Citizens of the country are suffering because of the government’s wrong decisions. BJP won with votes of the businessmen and now the businessmen are disappointed with the government. They are scared after GST and demonetisation,” he further said.

Story continues below this ad

During the programme, people from different districts including a former SP office-bearer joined Shivpal’s party.

Mulayam had shared the stage with son Akhilesh during a press conference on Monday, while his younger daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav was at an event with Shivpal. Earlier, on the death anniversary of Ram Manohar Lohia, Mulayam had shared stage with Shivpal.