LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Secular Morcha founder Shivpal Yadav said Wednesday he was open to the idea of joining a proposed alliance of opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh against the ruling BJP.
Shortly after moving into the government bungalow vacated by Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati in Lucknow, he told reporters that he would use the 6, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg residence as the office of his morcha.
The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh allotted the bungalow to Shivpal Yadav, who is Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav's brother and the estranged uncle of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, after a Supreme Court directive.
"I have entered the bungalow and will start work from here. We have invited all those who did not get due honour in Samajwadi Party to join our morcha, which we have formed as people have lost trust in political parties. We will work against the anti-people government (in UP)," Shivpal Yadav said.
On the proposed grand alliance of opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh, Shivpal Yadav said, he will "consider" the proposal if he is invited to join it.
Shivpal Yadav has not quit the SP but formed the morcha following differences with Akhilesh Yadav.
He said the morcha will contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
"I tried my level best to remain united. You (media) ask him (Akhilesh Yadav) why he allowed people to leave. Except on Mainpuri seat, where Mulayam Singh Yadav is likely to contest, we will contest elections on all Lok Sabha seats (in UP) in 2019."
Asked whether he will field his son Ankur Yadav in the Lok Sabha election, he said it will be "decided by the morcha".
Earlier Wednesday, Shivpal Yadav reached the bungalow with his supporters and entered it after performing a puja and havan on Durga Ashtmi.
Shivpal Yadav had said he was allotted the bungalow "as there were intelligence reports of threats to me." The Congress previously suggested Shivpal Yadav was favoured in the allocation of the bungalow, saying he was working for the BJP.
The BJP had defended the decision, saying "no politics should be seen in it".
Launching the morcha in August, Shivpal Yadav had said he felt neglected in the SP after Akhilesh Yadav took the charge of the party.
Mayawati vacated the bungalow after the Supreme Court struck down on May 7 an amendment to the Uttar Pradesh Ministers (Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act that allowed former chief ministers to retain their government accommodation when their term ended.
After this, former chief ministers, including Mayawati, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav, Narain Dutt Tiwari and Rajnath Singh, had to vacate their government bungalows.