Mr. Yadav also trained his gun on alleged abuses by central investigative agencies. (document)
New Delhi:
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, who just met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata and agreed on a new opposition front without Parliament, said today the long-standing party must decide its own role.
“Parliament is a national party, and we are regional parties,” he said.
Mr. Yadav also hinted that his party will contest the Lok Sabha election from the constituency of Amethi, a former Gandhi family stronghold, which his party has not contested since 1996. BJP and union minister Smriti Irani won Amethi over Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 election. He said the same to another Gandhi family bastion, Rae Bareli, which Sonia Gandhi represented.
“I was in Amethi recently. Our party helps Congress to win the elections in these seats, but when there is injustice against the workers of the Samajwadi Party, Congress does not say a word. Our leaders say we should fight elections in these seats So when the time comes, we’ll talk to our party staff and decide,” he said.
Asked what the opposition front formula is proposed before the general election, Mr Yadav said it would not be revealed.
“We will not reveal the formula of the opposition front; the goal is to beat the BJP,” he said.
Yadav also trained his gun on alleged abuses of central investigative agencies against opposition leaders.
“Whoever goes against them, they’ll send the ED, the CBI and the Income Tax Department to pursue them,” he said, adding that the BJP “has a vaccine and a washing machine” and whoever joins them, he said. do not face investigative authorities.
He said the BJP will be terminated politically in the coming days, “just like Congress”, for “abusing” central authorities against opposition parties.
“This is what Congress used to do, and now the BJP is doing the same thing. If Congress ends, so will the BJP,” he said.
He also mentioned the requirement of a census, saying that people’s problems would not be solved and there would be no social justice without it.
“We want the BJP-led central government to conduct the census. Some leaders have asked for it. But like Congress, the BJP doesn’t want to do it either,” Yadav said.
Akhilesh Yadav met the head of Trinamool Parliament Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Friday. Ms. Banerjee will also meet Naveen Patnaik, Odisha’s minister who heads Biju Janata Dal, next week to possibly have a coalition away from Parliament.
