SP will be my first choice if coalition is formed: Shivpal

Jhansi: President of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Shivpal Singh Yadav said that the BJP governments, both at the Centre and in UP, have failed to fulfil their promises they had made to the people. If any coalition is formed before the UP assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party will be his first choice, Shivpal said.
He was addressing a press conference on Tuesday after a stopover for the state-wide ‘Samajik Pariwartan Rath Yatra which arrived here on Monday night. He said his ‘yatra’, which had started from Mathura, would culminate in Ayodhya.
“Time has come to change the present inefficient government in UP. The aim of our ‘yatra’ is to create public awareness against BJP. We are ready for coalition with the like-minded parties to form a non-BJP government in UP. We are doing a survey of the state and will be fielding our candidates accordingly. It is sure that whichever party gets our support will form the government in the state”, Shivpal said.
Hitting at the BJP for being anti-farmer, Shivpal said he has his full support for the agitating farmers. “In the name of privatisation, BJP is only benefiting the rich. The MSP is not giving any benefit to the farmers”, he said. He also flayed the BJP led government at the centre for its foreign policy due to which India’s relations with the neighbouring countries have soured.
When asked about the reasons for parting away from the SP and forming a new party, Shivpal said, “I have given my forty years to the Samajwadi Party, helping the party to reach great heights, and I never wanted to part away. But with changing circumstances, I formed a new party with the blessings of Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) whose blessings are with me”.