Akhilesh Doesn’t Want Dalit Support: Bhim Army Chief No To Alliance With SP

Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad on Saturday said that his outfit Azad Samaj Party would not ally with the Samajwadi Party for upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls as SP chief Akhilesh Yadav “does not want the support of Dalits.”

Ruling out the possibility of an alliance with SP, Chandrasekhar Azad said, “Yesterday Akhileshji humiliated us… humiliated the bahujan samaj.”

“In the end, I felt Akhileshji doesn’t want Dalit leaders in this alliance… he just wants Dalit votes,” he added.

Further citing his fears, Bhim Army Chief said, “My fear was that if Dalits vote for him and he forms the government, we won’t be able to talk to him about our problems… if we’re beaten, if our lands are stolen and our women raped, like Hathras.”

Akhilesh Yadav had offered the Azad Samaj Party three seats, but Chandrashekhar Azad wanted 10 seats and a middle ground could not be established, sources told NDTV.

“Akhileshji told us a month ago that we will fight the election together wanted to join with him to stop the BJP, but he doesn’t want to give representation to the Dalits,” Mr Azad told NDTV.

He also alleged that the SP chief could not understand “social justice” and kept silent on matters related to Dalits.

“My fight for social justice will continue. I will unite the Opposition or else I will fight myself,” Chandrasekhar Azad said.

“I will tell in two days about whom to go for election,” he said, adding, “Otherwise, we will fight alone.”

In November, Azad had decided to contest the UP election against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he told NDTV; “I will not let Yogi win, no matter what happens.”

Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Akhilesh Yadav has emerged as the biggest challenge to the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party.

Several BJP leaders with considerable influence over the OBC vote base, including (so far) two ministers in Swami Prasad Maurya and Dharam Singh Saini, joined the Samajwadi Party on Friday.

UP will go for polls in seven phases from February 10, and the results will be declared exactly one month later – March 10.

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