Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party today pulled out of the ‘grand alliance’ in poll-bound Bihar, saying it felt “humiliated” as it was not consulted while deciding seats and would contest the Assembly elections in the state on its own.
The SP’s decision ahead of the Bihar polls comes as a jolt to the grand alliance which was floated to counter the BJP in the state.
SP National General Secretary Ram Gopal Yadav told reporters here that “In Bihar the party will contest separately. The bigger parties in the alliance did not consult us while declaring seats due to which the SP felt humiliated. This is not the ‘gatbandhan dharma'”.
The final decision on the Bihar Assembly polls was taken at a party parliamentary board meeting here in presence of SP national President Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Yadav said that it was the duty of the major constituents to consult the SP before deciding over seat sharing.
“We came to know about this through the media. This is not the ‘gatbandhan dharma’ and SP felt humiliated,” he said.
Yadav said the party was not happy with the paltry two or five seats offered out of the 243 in the state assembly.
“We will win much more seats by contesting on our own as compared to that being offered by the alliance. We will contest respectfully,” he said.
On the future of ‘Janata Pariwar’, Yadav said at that time itself he had said that he would not sign the “death warrant” of the party.
“Respecting the sentiments of the party workers, SP has decided to go all alone in Bihar Assembly elections,” he said.
The JD-U and Lalu Prasad-led RJD have been alloted 100 seats each while the Congress got 40. The NCP was alloted three seats.
The SP spokesman said Janta Parivar could never come together, but he would not comment as to who was responsible for that.
If required, the SP would take support of some other parties in Bihar, he said.
“President of Bihar unit Ramchandra Yadav is in consultation with some other parties. Names of the candidates will be decided once the process of consultation is over,” he said.
Asked if cracks in Janta Parivar would boost the morale of communal forces, he said, “I wan’t to know from you whether there was division of secular votes in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh and BJP won.”
“Why would we have won the 2012 UP Assembly elections if victory and defeat was based on division. In Bihar there is a contest between secular forces. This is not the logic,” he said.
On being asked about his meeting with the Prime Minister and BJP chief Amit Shah and whether there was any discussion on the case of former Noida chief engineer Yadav Singh, he said, “Why should we have any fear in the Yadav Singh case. An inquiry should be conducted if any person has committed irregularity, and others should also be probed.
You as well as we all know who were the persons Yadav Singh was close to.”
Yadav Singh is accused of amassing illegal wealth.
“The manner in which hurdles are being created in the working of the state government. If such a situation will arise we finally met the President and now the PM. If required we will meet again,” he said.
(Agencies)
