A beaming Yadav, who tied up with his arch rival Bahujan Samaj Party, to defeat the BJP twice said that he has buried the past and was looking for a long-term tie-up with BSP supremo Mayawati.
Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said lessons learnt from the Bharatiya Janata Party's tactics helped clinch the recently concluded bypolls in Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha constituencies.
A beaming Yadav, who tied up with his arch rival Bahujan Samaj Party, to defeat the BJP twice said that he has buried the past and was looking for a long-term tie-up with BSP supremo Mayawati. Taking a jibe at the BJP, he said its "pakoda" politics led to their defeat. "Except demonetization or GST implementation, there is nothing that BJP has done for the development of the people," he said at the Zee India Conclave.
Asked if SP will continue its alliance with the BSP, the national chief of SP said he has always respected Mayawati as "bua" and their relationship is better. "We will visit mandir, masjid and all religious places to maintain our alliance with her." On shifting to national politics, Akhilesh said that he is very much satisfied to stay in Uttar Pradesh. "Please do not send me to Delhi. I do not aim big for myself, I only aim big for development."
About the future of UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Akhilesh said, "Yogi ji has good speed. He will overtake PM Modi one day." He said for the sake of the health of his opponents, he must keep up that speed, in an oblique reference to alleged disaffecting building up within the BJP.
Speaking about his defeat in 2017 Assembly elections, Akhilesh said that BJP's politics was the reason for their loss. "For me political ups and downs are not new. I have seen Netaji's [Mulayam Singh Yadav] government coming to power and then being removed several times. People of UP helped us, but low-level politics by the BJP was the reason for our defeat."
Akhilesh-Mayawati alliance would be tested once again on the ground when western UP seats Kairana and Noorpur go to polls within next five months. It is believed that the SP leadership is planning to contest both Kairana and Noorpur seats with BSP's support.
He ducked questions on relations with his father Mulayam Singh, but said he was happy with the latest results. "You saw him smiling in Lok Sabha and wearing red cap a sort of uniform of SP workers," he said. Over past many days, since the results are out, SP MPs in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are attending Parliament sporting red caps.
‘Not keen On Delhi’
On shifting to national politics, Akhilesh said that he is very much satisfied to stay in Uttar Pradesh. “Please do not send me to Delhi. I do not aim big for myself, I only aim big for development.”
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