News Analysis India

Tag: Samajwadi Party

  • UP assembly polls: Alliance with Samajwadi Party first priority, says Shivpal Yadav

    By PTI

    AGRA: Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party president Shivpal Yadav on Wednesday said that his first priority is to form alliance with Samajwadi Party in the upcoming UP assembly polls but he did not rule out the possibility of a tie-up with other “secular” parties.

    The PSP national president also claimed that the Samajik Pariwartan Rath Yatra that began on Tuesday in Vrindavan, Mathura, would conclude at the birthplace of Lord Rama in Ayodhya after going through 75 districts in the state.

    “For the forthcoming UP State Assembly Elections in 2022, we would give first priority to Samajwadi Party. We can also form an alliance with any party with a secular ideology with an aim to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party government in UP,” Yadav told reporters Wednesday.

    Shivpal Yadav broke away from the SP in 2018 and formed his own political group – Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party – following a fallout with his nephew and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

    Targeting the BJP government in UP and the Centre, the PSP president said that the saffron party has not fulfilled any promises.

    “Promises such as controlling inflation, ending corruption and bringing back black money “besides, other unfulfilled promises such as doubling income of the farmers and taking back land from China etc,” he said.

    “We are carrying out Samajik Pariwartan Rath Yatra to connect with the people to know their main issues that were not fulfilled by the BJP government. And we will know those issues and when our government is formed in 2022, we will fulfil these promises,” he added.

  • Accused not yet arrested as they are associated with BJP: Akhilesh on Lakhimpur incident

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra’s son has not yet been arrested in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case even though evidence pointed to his role in the incident.

    “As fingers are raised towards MoS (Ajay Mishra) in the BJP government, the accused in Lakhimpur case are not yet sent to jail,” Yadav, who is visiting Lakhimpur to meet the aggrieved families, told reporters here outside his residence.

    “Those named in the FIR should go to jail. Government should take immediate action and the matter should be probed by a sitting judge of the High Court. There are videos clips, statements of eyewitnesses, the statement (of minister) in which he is threatening. As he (accused Ashish Mishra) is the son of the MoS, action has note been taken yet,” he said.

    “Do you think farmers can get justice till he (father of accused) is MoS?” he asked.

    The UP government has constituted a one-member commission headed by retired judge of Allahabad High Court Justice Pradeep Kumar Srivastava to probe the incident, a senior Home Department official said on Thursday.

    When asked about the BJP’s allegation that the opposition is doing politics on the matter, he said, “The BJP is doing politics and it is a clever party. We want to know what was done in the Kanpur Manish Gupta case. Why are policemen still absconding. Why an absconding IPS officer is not arrested?” Kanpur-based businessman Manish Gupta had died under suspicious circumstances inside a hotel in Gorakhpur on Monday and six policemen were booked on charges of murder.

    SP chief Yadav had tried to visit Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday but was stopped outside his home by the police.

    On October 3, eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri.

    Of the eight killed, four were farmers, who were allegedly knocked down by vehicles driven by BJP workers travelling to welcome Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya to an event in the area.

    The other four were two BJP workers, a driver of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra and a journalist working for a private television channel.

  • Akhilesh Yadav announces ‘Samajwadi Vijay Yatra’ from Oct 12 in UP 

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Aiming to connect with the masses ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday announced the ‘Samajwadi Vijay Yatra’ from October 12 in the state.

    SP chief spokesperson Rajendra Chowdhury said its objective was to make people aware about the “corrupt, autocratic and suppressive” policies of the BJP government and to establish real democracy.

    He said the SP president is going to take out the ‘Samajwadi Vijay Yatra’ from October 12 to uproot the inhuman government in the state.

    “Akhilesh Yadav’s yatras are for change in the state. His first ‘Kranti yatra’ as SP state president started on July 31, 2001, and then he took out the ‘Samajwadi Party Kranti Rath Yatra’ from September 12, 2011,” he said.

    The details of the routes have not been shared by the party yet.

  • Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav detained in Lucknow

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav was detained on Monday as he sat on a dharna outside his Vikramaditya Marg residence in Lucknow after he was not allowed to go to Lakhimpur.

    The SP chief had announced plans to visit Lakhimpur Kheri, where eight people were killed on Sunday as violence erupted during a farmers’ protest ahead of a visit by Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

    On Monday morning, security was beefed up outside his home and police trucks placed to block the road and restrict any movement, following which he sat on the dharna with party leaders Ram Gopal Yadav, MLC Anand Bhadauria and others.

    Hundreds of party workers also gathered outside the house, and a heavy police force was deployed in the area.

    “Vehicles are being run over those who raise their voices. We want the arrest of the minister and his son in the Lakhimpur incident,” Akhilesh Yadav told reporters here.

    A police jeep parked in front of the Gautam Palli police station near the place where Akhilesh Yadav sat on a dharna was set on fire allegedly by party workers.

    SP leaders, however, claimed that the police torched their own vehicle.

  • Kanpur: Samajwadi Party youth wing office-bearer shot dead, accused arrested

    By PTI

    KANPUR: A young Samajwadi Party office bearer was shot dead allegedly by a fellow party affiliate in Barra area here, a senior police officer said on Saturday.

    The incident took place on on Friday evening and the deceased person has been identified as Harsh Yadav (20), a law student and resident of Damodar Nagar in Barra.

    Yadav was recently made the district vice-president of Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha of Kanpur Dehat, said an official.

    Police, however, claimed to have arrested prime accused Shivendra Singh (23), who has an affiliation with the SP, on Saturday morning in an encounter.

    Kanpur Police Commissioner Asim Arun said the accused confessed to his crime during interrogation.

    Singh and Yadav had gone together outside for drinks and they fought over some issues related to liquor.

    An angry Singh took out an illegal pistol in his possession and fired at Harsh, who sustained bullet injuries on his head, forehead and stomach, resulting in his death, police said.

  • Akhilesh Yadav promises caste census, cheap electricity in UP if voted to power

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday promised to go in for the caste census in Uttar Pradesh and provide cheap electricity to people and jobs to youths in the state if voted to power.

    He made the promises alleging that the BJP-led central government is fighting shy of conducting caste census in the country, fearing that it will lead to the backward classes of people demanding their rights and due respect.

    “The BJP government at the Centre does not want to conduct caste census as it knows that backwards will demand their right and due respect after it. This is the biggest demand of backwards and Dalits,” Akhilesh Yadav said in a statement here.

    Promising caste census in Uttar Pradesh if his party is voted to power in 2022 assembly polls, Akhilesh said, “We will ensure that backwards get their rights.”

    Alleging that the crime rate in UP has grown exponentially, Akhilesh Yadav said, “The chief minister lies on the matter of crime and does not have any information on the NCRB data.”

    “The highest number of crimes against women is committed in UP,” he asserted.

    He also reiterated his charge that veteran SP leader Azam Khan is being kept in jail in false cases.

    “Azam Khan has been kept in jail in fake cases,” he said, adding maximum custodial deaths in the state have occurred during the present BJP regime.

    “The CM visits his home district Gorakhpur regularly but crime is rising there,” he alleged, adding police beat up a Kanpur businessman, visiting there, to death.

    “Even saints are not safe in UP where over 40 sadhu and saints have been killed,” he said.

    Terming the governance in UP “a complete failure”, Akhilesh said, “Common men are not heard. The BJP MLAs and MPs have to face the people’s opposition in their own areas.”

    He said the Centre is on a privatisation spree and if everything will be privatised, there will be no need of implementing reservation.

    On the Covid vaccination drive, he asked, “Why do the vaccination certificates not carry the photograph of the national flag?” He said the government should withdraw three farm laws as it would help business houses take away farmers’ land.

    “The farmers will teach a lesson to the BJP in the coming assembly polls,” he predicted.

    Addressing a rally in Kannauj, Akhilesh promised that electricity will be cheap and youths will get employment in large scale.

    “If voted to power, the SP government will provide cheap electricity and give jobs to youths in large numbers,” he said.

    Akhilesh was in Kannauj to unveil the statue of former party MLA Kaptan Singh Yadav.

  • Shivpal Yadav keen to merge his outfit PSPL with SP, asks Akhilesh to decide by October 11

    By PTI

    ETAWAH: Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav’s younger brother Shivpal Yadav on Tuesday expressed a keen desire to forge an alliance between his political outfit Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia and its parent party SP or even merge them.

    PSLP president Shivpal Yadav expressed the desire, setting October 11 as the deadline for SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to take a decision on the issue, failing which, he said, he would start preparations for fielding his candidates on all 403 seats of the UP assembly.

    He said his party intends to contest 403 seats of the Uttar Pradesh assembly next year but it would be in the interest of both the party and the people if the two parties fight the elections together.

    “We have a socialist ideology. I have work shoulder to shoulder with ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam Singh Yadav) to establish the Samajwadi Party. I want the party (SP) to become stronger and for that, there should be an alliance of the SP with PSPL,” said Shivpal Yadav.

    “We have made all efforts for an alliance or even merger with the SP. Now it is Akhilesh Yadav’s turn,” Shivpal said while talking to reporters here.

    “We are giving him (Akhilesh) time till October 11,” he added.

    “We are waiting. It’s for the UP SP president to take a decision. Our PSPL organisation is strong in the entire state. We will contest all 403 seats (if no alliance materialise with the SP) with full strength and will form the government after winning elections,” he said.

    Shivpal Yadav said the PSPL will be starting its “Samajik Parivartan Yatra” from Mathura-Vrindavan from October 12 and its entire program has been chalked out.

    Elaborating upon possible benefits of the unity between the two parties, Shivpal Yadav said they fought “unitedly” in Etawah and their candidate won the district panchayat chairman post unopposed.

    He claimed that PSPL will win three seats in Etawah and as many seats in Auraiya districts.

    He said due to the Covid pandemic, the opposition parties could not do agitate against the failures of the BJP.

    Asked about AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Shivpal said he does not want to comment on him as he is a “big leader” of the country.

    After differences with nephew Akhilesh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav had founded the PSPL.

    SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had recently evaded a direct reply on the possibility of an alliance with his uncle’s party.

    “The SP will go with smaller parties in 2022 polls. We will take them along and give due respect to them,” Akhilesh Yadav had given a cryptic reply.

    Even after the formation of the new party, Shivpal Yadav is still an SP MLA.

    On various occasions earlier, Akhilesh Yadav had said the SP will not field any candidate on his uncle’s Jaswant Nagar seat in Etawah.

  • BSP leader RS Kushwaha meets Akhilesh Yadav, triggers speculations of crossover

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: BSP National General Secretary R S Kushwaha met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday, triggering speculations of his shifting allegiance ahead of next year’s Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.

    However, the interaction at the Samajwadi Party office has been described by both sides as a “courtesy meeting”.

    “Former (state) BSP president RS Kuswaha had a courtesy meeting with party president Akhilesh Yadav,” the Samajwadi Party tweeted with a picture of both the leaders.

    When asked, Kushwaha told PTI it was a courtesy meeting.

    “Yes, I met Akhileshji. It was a courtesy meeting,” he said without elaborate on the talks he had with the Samajwadi Party supremo.

    Hailing from Lakhimpur, Kushwaha was the BSP’s Uttar Pradesh unit president when the Mahagathbandhan was forged between the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party in 2018.

    He has been an MLA and MLC and had contested against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareli constituency in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

    Last week, expelled BSP leaders Lalji Verma and Ram Achal Rajbhar met Akhilesh Yadav leading to guesswork about their political future.

    Yadav had described that as a courtesy call.

    The meeting created a buzz that Verma and Rajbhar may contest the assembly polls on SP ticket.

    Verma was the BSP Legislature Party leader and Rajbhar was a former president of the party’s Uttar Pradesh unit.

    They were expelled by Mayawati on June 3 on charges of anti-party activities during the panchayat elections.

    Both the Samajwadi Party and the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party have already announced they would fight the Assembly election separately.

  • Farmers’ call for Bharat Bandh has full support of Samajwadi Party: Akhilesh Yadav

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Expressing his support to the farmers’ agitation against three agriculture laws of the Centre and their “Bharat Bandh” call, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said the ruling BJP, which is not giving respect to farmers, has lost the moral right to remain in power.

    He also claimed that the farmers’ movement has started becoming a cause of disintegration within the BJP “Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s ‘Bharat Bandh’ has full support of the SP.

    The arrogant BJP, which is not giving respect to the ‘annadata’ (farmers) of the country, has lost the moral right to remain in power.

    The farmers’ movement has started becoming a cause of disintegration within the BJP,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said in a tweet in Hindi with the hashtag #BJP_Khatam (BJP finished).

    The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of over 40 farmers’ unions leading the 10-month-old agitation demanding a repeal of the three contentious farm laws, has given a call for the “Bharat Bandh” on Monday.

    In a separate tweet, Yadav regretted that the original form and quality of the “Samajwadi Purvanchal Expressway”, the foundation of which was laid by him, was compromised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    “I am happy that the Samajwadi Purvanchal Expressway, the foundation of which was laid to remove the poverty and backwardness of Purvanchal (eastern Uttar Pradesh), has been completed.

    But it is also sad that the BJP has compromised its original form and quality.

    The BJP does not know how to make way for development,” he said, using the hashtag #sp_ka_kaam_janta_ke_naam (SP’s work is for the people).

  • Enforcement Directorate questions Azam Khan in money laundering case

    By ANI

    SITAPUR: Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case at Sitapur Jail in Uttar Pradesh where he is lodged, said ED officials.

    The SP leader was grilled by ED officials after the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court authorized ED to question him.

    On September 20, ED officials said the investigating agency received permission from the court to question UP leaders Azam Khan and Mukhtar Ansari, Atiq Ahmad in connection with an alleged money laundering case.

    All three politicians are currently lodged in different jails in Uttar Pradesh.

    Azam Khan is currently lodged in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur jail and is facing trial in several cases. Ansari is lodged in the Banda district jail while Atiq is in Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad.