LUCKNOW: Political rumblings intensified in state capital Lucknow on Tuesday as on one hand, major political players, including BJP and SP, were busy working out a winning formula for contentious Rajya
Sabha seat, on the other, former JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav met SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to consolidated the ground for a grand alliance against BJP ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Rajya Sabha poll are slated for March 23.
As per the highly-placed sources, both the leaders deliberated upon ways to chalk out a sound and workable anti-BJP strategy by cobbling a grand alliance of like-minded parties at the national level.
After his meeting with Akhilesh, Sharad Yadav launched a broadside on Modi government accusing it of breaching all the promises and commitments done to countrymen at the time of 2014 general elections.
He claimed that around 26,000 farmers had committed suicide owing to the policies of Modi government and demonetisation had led over 500 unemployed youth end their life across the nation. “Post-demonetisation, real estate business is in tatters and crores have been rendered jobless in the country,” claimed Sharad Yadav.
The JD(U) leader even cited the examples of Neerav Modi, Vijay Malya and Vikram Kothari because of whom he claimed people were losing faith in banking sector. Critical of the government, Yadav accused Centre of diverting attention from real issues in the name of cow protection. He also charged BJP-led states and Centre with propagating communalism and casteism by hopping from one temple to the other. “For them love jehad is a bigger issue than those inflicting youth, farmers and traders,” he stated. Yadav even deprecated the CMs, ministers and BJP parliamentarians of breaching statutory limits while giving
statements.
He said the ruling party members were busy identifying temple and mosque in the Taj Mahal, statues of icons were being vandalised, but no one paying heed to it. “I am going places to protect the tenets of Constitution. I will continue my efforts to make the alliance a reality. I will meet BSP chief Mayawati also,” claimed Yadav. He greeted leaders of SP and BSP for trouncing BJP at recently concluded bypolls to Gorakhour and Phulpur Parliamentary constituencies.
In fact, after fruitful results of SP-BSP alliance in UP bypolls, RJD, Trinamool Congress, Telangana Rashtirya Samiti (TRS) and many other regional parties have become active to stitch up a grand
alliance against the ruling party.
The JD(U) leader could not stop himself from bringing in the reference of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar by condemning him for shaking hands with BJP. He accused Kumar of failing to keep his party’s tie-up with
RJD and Congress intact in Bihar where people had voted for it. “He betrayed the people of Bihar by joining NDA to fulfil his political aspirations,” said Yadav while criticising Nitish Kumar.