Mulayam hits out at Akhilesh for SP-BSP alliance

"By contesting just 40 seats out of the total 80 in the state, Akhilesh has finished the party by 50 per cent, while delaying the announcement of candidates will further weaken the prospect of the party," said Mr Yadav, while addressing the party workers at the state headquarters, in presence of mediapersons.

Peeved over the act of party president, he questioned ''Who is finishing the party?"

"The fight of SP is against BJP and the party workers should pull up their socks to fight and win majority of contesting seats," he said.

He further said that when BJP was well-prepared for the polls and they have already selected their candidates, SP was yet to decide on the same.

"The candidates, who will have more possibility to win, will certainly be given the ticket. If you have any doubts, then give me a secret letter on your interest in contesting the polls," he said, adding that during his time in the past, the candidates were announced 14 months ahead of the polls, in which they got ample time to reach to the voters.

The SP patriarch, who praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha and even gave him blessing for his second term, said, "It is unfortunate that I have been made the patron of the party but no work has been assigned to me. But I can certainly say that I have the power even to take action against the party present."

Making a detail summary of the SP-BSP alliance, he said by contesting half number of seats, the party has lost in half of the seats before the polls and in the rest, the results would decide on the candidates and other aspects.
"Under my leadership in the past, SP won 39 Lok Sabha seats in UP and later won another three seats in the bypolls, but now the situation has turned different in the present leadership, when half the seats have already been sacrificed," he further said and added that he had made the government in UP thrice, but had never compromised on any issue for the party.

The SP founder said that women are also coming in less number in the party meetings. "Today, there are just nine women here to listen to me, when regularly around 40 women came here in the past. This shows how the party is functioning," he said while himself counting the number of women present in the party office including some women media persons.

Image:  Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav addressing party workers at party office, in Lucknow on Thursday. UNI PHOTO

Yadav also disclosed without taking any names that some people wanted me not to speak today before the media. " But I have never shied away from the media and always spoke the truth. How could you cover your weakness from the media," he said.

He further in an indirect criticism of his son Akhilesh said, " In Madhya Pradesh, SP has a strong base but now it too has been weakened and the party was not showing any interest there."

However, in a strong appeal to the party worker he said," already we are late but strong candidates should give me their application to contest the polls so that their names can be discussed and they get ample time to go before the voters."

This was the first reaction of Mulayam Singh Yadav over the SP-BSP alliance in UP for the Lok Sabha polls and as expected he denounced his son and party president for the alliance.