Miffed at Apna Dal's offer to Dawood, Babloo quits

LUCKNOW: "Hurt" by Apna Dal's offer of tickets to underworld dons Dawood Ibrahim and Abu Salem for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections next year, gangster Babloo Srivastava resigned from the party and declared he would form a non-political party to fight terrorists and criminals.

"Our party will include students and people from all sections of society but we will not contest elections under its banner," Srivastava, who is lodged in Bareilly jail and was here in connection with the hearing of a case, said.

The name of his party would be announced later.

He said that his party would "identify" criminal elements and terrorists in the election arena and oppose them with all its might.

Srivastava said he was "hurt" by Apna Dal president Sonelal Patel's offer of tickets to "terrorists like Abu Salem and Dawood Ibrahim" and that was why he was resigning from the party.

He had contested last Lok Sabha elections from Sitapur as an independent candidate supported by Apna Dal but had lost his security deposit.

Patel had on Tuesday offered to give tickets to Salem, Dawood Ibrahim and Srivastava for the coming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Replying to a question, the mafia don said if needed, he would field independent candidates "who would oppose anti-social elements tooth and nail."