Akhilesh says: We have the best relations with Maya

LUCKNOW: Amid speculation that his party will continue the alliance with foe-turned-friend Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said “one should forget past differences.”

His comments came a day after SP won the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha by-elections.

Once bitter rivals, the two parties had set aside their differences ahead of the by-polls and defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats – vacated by chief minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya last year.

Yadav had on Wednesday acknowledged the support of BSP president Mayawati and called on her in the evening to thank her.

“Some people cite past incidents to incite us. If there is anyone who has the best relationship with her, it’s us,” Yadav said, addressing an impromptu press conference at the party’s state headquarters here on Thursday.

Akhilesh was purportedly alluding to the state guest house incident of 1995 when a few SP legislators and their supporters allegedly misbehaved with Mayawati after she withdrew support to the then SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav government. The two parties had been at daggers drawn ever since the state guest house case.

Indicating that his party was keen on burying rivalry with the BSP, Akhilesh said sometimes “past incidents have to be forgotten”. “Samajwadis always give due respect to all. That is why today we have good relations with all,” he said.

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Samajwadis always give due respect to all. That is why today we have good relations with all AKHILESH YADAV, SP chief

The SP victory in the by-polls marked the return of Akhilesh Yadav to the centre stage of UP politics a year after the party’s defeat in the state assembly elections. There has been much speculation about UP’s two biggest parties (SP and BSP) joining hands to take on the BJP in the 2019 general elections.

Speaking about the Congress, Akhilesh said the relationship between the two parties had always been good.

The Congress lost both the seats in UP but party president Rahul Gandhi said the verdict reflected the people’s anger against the BJP.

Referring to his association with Gandhi, Akhilesh said: “We both are young and together we will have to find a solution to the problems facing the country. Many leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, have congratulated me. I have thanked them all.”

To a volley of questions on the

future course of action, he said, “No one can say anything about the future”.

When his attention was drawn to the Congress campaigning against his party in the by-polls, Akhilesh said only those succeed who could forget the past.

Sticking to his stand against EVMs despite the party’s victory, Akhilesh said had some EVMs not developed snags, the party’s victory margin could have been even bigger.

“The entire anger of voters could not come out through EVMs. Had ballot papers been used, the impact would have been astounding. Ballot paper system is the best way of voting. It helps people give vent to their anger,” he said.

“Phulpur mein phool murjha gaya (The lotus wilted in Phulpur). I thank the people of Phulpur and hope the BJP will tone down its language of arrogance,” Akhilesh added.

Akhilesh congratulated winning candidates Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel from Phulpur and Praveen Nishad from Gorakhpur and said they would raise the grievances of the people in Parliament.

Shortly before the press conference, Patel and Nishad had called on Akhilesh.

(With agency inputs)

AKHILESH SAID HAD SOME EVMS NOT DEVELOPED SNAGS, THE PARTY’S VICTORY MARGIN COULD HAVE BEEN EVEN BIGGER.