Akhilesh to ally with his estranged uncle Shivpal, give him full respect

Etawah: Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said that his party will ally with his estranged uncle Shivpal Yadav's Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL) in the 2022 Assembly elections.

Addressing reporters, Akhilesh Yadav said that SP would also enter into alliances with smaller parties. Asked whether he would give respect to his uncle, Akhilesh Yadav said that Shivpal Yadav would get full respect in the alliance.

Akhilesh Yadav's statement is expected to put an end to five years of strife between him and his uncle.

While Shivpal Yadav had been consistently seeking an alliance with SP, Akhilesh Yadav had remained non-committal on the issue. Initially, he had offered only one seat -Jaswantnagar-for Shivpal.

On Tuesday, Shivpal Yadav said that he would even consider merging his party with the SP if his supporters were given due respect.

Akhilesh Yadav said that the increase in prices of fuel and all essential commodities has caused problems for all sections of society, including farmers, women, students, youth and middle classes.

"Farmers are not even getting fertilizer and the government is not even concerned about the crisis," he said.

Meanwhile, extending his greetings on Dhanteras, Diwali and Govardhan Puja, Yadav said that festivals of India shed light on the importance of harmony, peace, mutual cooperation and carry a message of love and amity. He said that all Indian festivals are an occasion to send a message of tranquillity and resolve to lead the society and the nation towards the light of prosperity.

Attacking the ruling BJP for shifting goalposts and misleading the people, Yadav also expressed confidence that this Diwali will bring an end to the misrule of the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh.

The faulty policies of BJP, the SP chief said, has pushed the farmers, unemployed youths and the poor towards a bleak future and expressed confidence that Diwali, which is the festival of lights, will lighten up lives of people and end misrule in the state, Yadav said

"The BJP has failed to fulfil the promises it had made in their Sankalp Patra (manifesto) like doubling the income of farmers, providing jobs to unemployed youths and laptops to students. Now, they have started believing that 2022 Assembly polls in UP are actually the elections that are slated to be held in 2024 and hence trying to mislead people," he said.

He said farmers are feeling helpless as their paddy is lying unsold. The government has fixed Rs 1,940 per quintal for it but without enough procurement, centres to purchase their products from. As a result, farmers are being forced to sell their produce at much lower rates to middlemen.