Natl parties should support regional ones in their fight against BJP: Akhilesh

Lucknow, March 26: In a remark apparently meant for the Congress, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said the national parties should support regional parties fighting the Bharatiya Janata Party in their states.
Akhilesh’s statement comes a day after Bihar deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday said the Congress is the biggest party in the Opposition but wherever regional parties are strong, they should be allowed to sit in the “driver’s seat” to take on the BJP in the 2024 general elections.
While answering a question on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha, the former UP chief minister said he wanted to congratulate the party for observing satyagraha.
The Congress organised a day-long ‘Satyagraha’ on Sunday in solidarity with Rahul Gandhi in front of Gandhi statues at all states and district headquarters to protest against his disqualification from the Lok Sabha.
When asked if his party would support the Congress’ movement, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) said the question is not whether the Samajwadi Party is sympathetic towards Rahul Gandhi, but whether the country’s democracy and constitution will survive or not.
“We cannot sympathise with any party,” he said, adding that the national parties should cooperate and help the parties that are fighting against the BJP at the state level.
Yadav said the national parties should not think that the regional parties have done them any harm. It is the governments at the Centre which have harmed the regional parties.
“Today CBI, Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax are targeting regional parties,” he said, adding, “Be it Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav), Lalu Prasad Yadav, Jayalalithaa, Stalin, KCR or Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party,” all have been targeted by the parties at the Centre.
Replying to a question on the alliance, he said, “It is not our job to form an alliance. It is our job to cooperate with the alliance.”
On communalism, Yadav said, “The question here is not who is communal. If the educated class of our country becomes communal and starts believing the lies as truth, then there can be no bigger threat to society and democracy than that. Today we have reached that situation.” (PTI)