Hours after Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president, arch rival-turned-friend, announced their alliance in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) Shivpal Yadav said that the alliance is incomplete without his party. "This alliance in incomplete without Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party, only a secular front can defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)," the PSP(L) founder said.
Meanwhile, Shivpal Yadav's party hit back at the BSP chief for accusing that PSP(L) was being run by the BJP. "The allegation against Shivpalji is baseless. Everyone in the state knows who formed the government with the BJP, and which party sells tickets and is involved in corruption. Shivpal's fight against communalism is four-decade-old," PSP (L) chief spokesperson CP Rai said. Â
Rai pointed that BSP had earlier sided with the BJP and 'history can be repeated'. "The SP workers were framed in fake cases during the BSP regime. The SP allied with the party which humiliated Mulayam Singh Yadav and Janeshwar Mishra. This is an alliance of opportunism. Any 'samajwadi' will not accept it," he said. Â
Earlier, Mayawati - while addressing a joint press conference with Akhilesh Yadav, had asked the party cadre "to not waste their vote on his (Shivpal's) party, (which is) funded by the BJP".
Akhilesh and Mayawati asked the party cadre "to not waste their vote on his (Shivpal's) party, (which is) funded by the BJP". "The BJP's money will go down the drain as it is running Shivpal's party," she said.
Earlier, the BSP and SP announced that they will contest the 2019 general elections together in Uttar Pradesh sharing 38 seats each of the 80 in the state.
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