‘Strengthening the party is our focus’

AGRA: National president of Samajwadi Party Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday ruled out any possibility of coalition for now but said friendship with the Congress would continue.

Talking to newsmen after the party executive meet here, Akhilesh termed Agra lucky, as after past conventions here, the party fared well in elections.

Akhilesh said at present, the emphasis was on strengthening the party and state party presidents of nearby states would be consulted before taking a decision on contesting elections in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Targeting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for making false promises, he said that farmers were cheated in the name of loan waiver. The BJP won through false propaganda on social media but a negative trend prevailed against it now, he said.

“The Prime Minister promises to double the income of farmers by 2022 but there is no roadmap. There are voices against demonetisation within the BJP itself while the GST has ruined traders,” he alleged. The BJP fought on issues like cow, dung and graveyard and fooled the masses, he said. “It continues to raise such issues to deviate people’s attention,” he said, adding that the state government’s budget was anti-development.

“If development suffers in UP, it would affect the entire nation but the state government is engaged in the futile exercise of probing our projects with no result,” he said. Replying to a question about cycle tracks going waste, Akhilesh quipped why toilets going waste were not being questioned.

MULAYAM AND SHIVPAL

The SP chief did not say whether or not Mulayam would attend the convention but said that he had sought his blessings and got them. He said he had received Shivpal’s good wishes too.

TAJ MAHAL

Accusing the BJP of adopting double standards, Ahkilesh said that “they are allergic to Taj Mahal which has provided jobs to so many and unites communities.” He said that Taj Mahal was a monument known worldwide and even Prime Minister narendra Modi had said tourism generated business of Rs 3 trillion but now the party was denying Taj Mahal its due place.

In an aggressive reply to those alleging parivarwad , he asked them to set their own houses into order. He also said Dimple Yadav would not contest elections.

SP CHIEF’S ELECTION

SP national general secretary Prof Ram Gopal Yadav is to be the election officer for the new party president’s election and constitution of new national executive on Thursday. There are no doubts on Akhilesh being re-elected national president but the formal procedure is to be adopted during Thursday’s convention.