Akhilesh Yadav's uncle Shivpal Yadav said he will stay in the party for the rest of his life. (File)
After the latest patch-up with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, his uncle Shivpal Yadav on Tuesday said he will stay in the party for the rest of his life irrespective of whether he gets a post or not.
Shivpal Yadav, who wielded immense influence when Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav was at the helm, also came down heavily on the BJP for calling Samajwadi Party a "party of goons", alleging that it is the saffron party that indulges in "goondaism" and false cases are registered against people under its rule.
"Now, I am going to stay lifelong in this party (Samajwadi Party), whether I get a post or not. This is our party. I had worked continuously with 'netaji' (Mulayam Singh Yadav)," Shivpal Yadav told reporters when asked whether this is his final "ghar wapsi" (homecoming) in the Samajwadi Party.
Shivpal Yadav was handed over an Samajwadi Party flag by party president Akhilesh Yadav after Dimple Yadav's win in Mainpuri by-poll on December 8, the fourth time in the last six years when uncle-nephew duo reunited after breaking up following a bitter power tussle. Shivpal had floated Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia after parting ways with the Samajwadi Party.
Asked if he could leave the Samajwadi Party in the future, Mr Yadav said, "It will not happen. Why are you asking such a question?" On the demand of his supporters that he should get a respectable post in the Samajwadi Party, he said, "I have no desire for any post."
To queries about his role in the Samajwadi Party, the senior socialist leader said, "You see, a post does not hold any meaning for me. I have occupied all posts (in the past). A post is not a big thing for me. The major thing is the faith of the people."
Asked about speculation that he could be nominated as the Leader of Opposition in UP Legislative Assembly, the SP MLA from Jaswantnagar in Etawah district said, "I had been the Leader of Opposition, and Akhilesh Yadav is discharging well the role of Leader of Opposition. The outcome of the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypolls is a result of this.
"The actual work in the party is that of the organisation. Whatever responsibility is given, I will discharge it." The 67-year-old leader said there were prominent people like Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia who worked for the country without holding any big post.
Evading a direct answer to whether the Samajwadi Party will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls with JD(U), the senior SP leader said, "A decision will be taken by the party." "We want that all those who are Lohiavaadi, Gandhivaadi and Chaudhary Charan Singhvaadi, should converge and then move ahead. Our target is to remove the BJP," he said.
After dumping the BJP in Bihar and forming a new government with RJD and the Left parties, Nitish Kumar has emerged as a prominent leader in the opposition camp against Narendra Modi in the 2024 general election.
Mr Kumar had met Akhilesh after switching sides and senior JD(U) leader KC Tyagi was seen in election meetings of SP in the Mainpuri by-poll.
On the BJP calling the SP a 'party of goons', Shivpal Yadav said, "The BJP itself indulges in 'goondaism'. False cases are registered against people. Houses are bulldozed. Words such as 'thok do' (eliminate them) were not used by us.
"Before the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypolls, SHOs who were Muslims and Yadav were asked to go on leave. What can be a bigger gundaism than this?" When asked about the razing of properties of criminals, the Samajwadi Party leader said, "If anyone has committed a crime, then stringent action should be initiated against that person. What is the crime of the children and family members?"
"The courts will give punishment. We will raise our voice against it from the streets to the Legislative Assembly," He also said that the false case lodged against the party workers will be withdrawn when the party comes to power in the state.
On the withdrawal of his security cover, he said, "Workers and people will provide security to me. I have to strengthen the Samajwadi Party, and on the basis of 'sangharsh' (protest and agitation), we have to bring a transformation, and remove this (BJP) government." The state government recently downgraded his security from Z to Y.
Praising Akhilesh Yadav, he said, "I think that he is becoming better. You have seen in Mainpuri that when Akhilesh went out (on the ground), the people also started coming out. The atmosphere has started to build up, and this is because so much harassment has been meted out to people."
Accusing the BJP of "attacking democracy", he said, "False cases are being registered against people. Hundreds of cases are being registered, and people are being sent to jail. This new tradition by the BJP government is a murder of democracy and should not happen." Referring to the recent bypoll in Rampur Sadar assembly seat, he alleged that police did not allow many voters to cast their votes in Rampur.
"If people do not cast their votes (in an election), then how will democracy survive?" he commented.
The BJP wrested the Muslim-dominated Rampur Sadar seat held by senior SP leader Azam Khan for nearly 45 years.
Shivpal Yadav claimed that government machinery and a number of ministers were engaged in campaigning for the BJP in Mainpuri, but the people supported the SP.
"Had there been not so much of terror, the victory margin (of Dimple Yadav) would have been above five lakh," he said.
Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav won the Mainpuri bypolls by a margin of 2,88,461 (over 2.88 lakh) votes. The Lok Sabha seat fell vacant following the demise of Mulayam Singh yadav.
Shivpal Yadav claimed that when the SP was in power, the Opposition was given due consideration. "But they (BJP) want to finish off the Opposition," he charged.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)