BJP's worst fears have come true with BSP-SP tie-up: Akhilesh Yadav

PHULPUR: On the brink of forging a potentially formidable alliance with a former rival in Uttar Pradesh before 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said that BJP's worst nightmares have come true following unequivocal support from BSP in the March 11 bypolls.
A high voltage campaign has rocked Phulpur and Gorakhpur that will elect their MPs on March 11, following exit by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Keshav Prasad Maurya.

Both Maurya and Yogi had quit their Lok Sabha seats after they took charge in UP assembly in 2017.

"We have never played caste politics. BJP began this in UP by making an OBC (Maurya) their party president first and projecting him as a CM, then suddenly bringing a thakur (Yogi) as chief minister and also ensuring space for a Brahmin as another deputy chief minister. Now we have changed the tide by bringing BSP and SP together, BJP's worst fears have come true. They are so worried that they are resorting to using obscene terms for Mayawati ji, neta ji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and me," said Akhilesh, as he collected a framed photograph of a Dalit icon and author of Indian Constitution, Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

While both BJP (Kaushalendra Patel) and SP (Nagendra Patel) have fielded a Kurmi Patel OBC candidate in Phulpur, Congress has fielded a Brahmin (Manish Mishra). BSP is not contesting the bypoll. The SP supremo, however, said that he was thankful to the BJP to have taught a lesson in social engineering early in his life. He spoke to TOI during a four-hour rath yatra in Phulpur and later during a flight to Lucknow.

The three-time former MP said that he does not have any regrets over the failure of Congress-SP alliance in the 2017 UP polls despite the fact that his party slumped to one of the lowest tallies of 47 seats. While disclosing that he sensed a change in behaviour of Congress immediately after a moderate success in Gujarat assembly polls in 2017 where the party reduced the BJP to a two-digit tally of 99 seats, he said he did not harbour ill feelings towards Rahul Gandhi or his team.

"I agree we failed to click as an alliance. After all, my 100 probables had to forego their individual political career. But I felt sad that before Gujarat elections, Congress was more accommodating but later became circumspect over any alliance with us. Still I have no ill will towards them," he said. Akhilesh insisted that he would want to forget the 2017 filial tension as a passable incident and instead use his 'optimistic' traits, inherited from his father.

"If you look at my conduct today, it beams positivity. I think of the way I brought laptops to young students, Metro to Lucknow, expressway, cricket stadia, helipads and business centres. I know that the BJP fomented tension in our family. But since I have had the privilege of my icon and mentor neta ji (Mulayam Yadav), we have reconciled differences. I learn more from him than reading books on other Socialist leaders," said Akhilesh.

"I look at an opportunity to rebuild my team, giving them a sense of belongingness. To take corrective steps, like we took action against Atiq Ahmad (now contesting as an independent candidate from Phulpur). I realised our cadre is happy. But what has happened is that during BJP rule, a mobile phone and knives have been found in the Deoria jail where Atiq is lodged," he added.

Akhilesh agreed that the hostilities between parties have become sharper due to acerbic speeches in the recent past.

"Contributing factors of political contests have changed from scams, economic policies, employment and funding patterns to polemic and hate speeches built around Hindus and Muslims and castes. A common term to describe electioneering these days is narrative. And BJP has championed that cause. When my father was chief minister, he would contest against the Congress. There was a time neta ji too had taken help from the BSP to stop the communal surge of 1992. That time has come back again. Which is why the BSP and SP have kept aside their differences," he said.