Zee Media Bureau
Agra: In the midst of a crisis over Akhilesh Yadav government`s alleged mishandling of Muzaffarnagar riots that has killed 48 people, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday addressed the top party functionaries and ruled out any pre-poll alliance for 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
According to reports, the SP chief said, "The countdown of the Congress-led UPA government has begun. There will be no pre-poll alliance with any party for the 2014 polls."
Mulayam Singh Yadav made these remarks while addressing the national executive meeting of the party, which is being attended by all top SP leaders.
Speaking on his turn, SP MP Ram Gopal Yadav also endorsed Mulayam`s view that the party will not forge any pre-poll alliance with any party for the 2014 polls.
Speaking on the issue of Azam Khan`s absence in the national executive meet, Ram Gopal Yadav said, "He can have some important work."
"Isn`t he seen at all important events with the CM," he questioned, while assuring that the state government is working towards restoring peace in the region.
Ram Gopal also stated that the violence in Muzaffarnagar "was a fight between two communities and not a communal riot."
The reactions from the SP chief and his brother came shortly after it was reported that Azam Khan, a prominent Muslim face of the Samajwadi Party and a powerful politician from Uttar Pradesh, had skipped the national executive meeting of the party in Agra.
Khan is said to reportedly upset over the state government`s handling of the last week`s riots in Muzaffarnagar that claimed 48 lives.
The absence of Uttar Pradesh Minority Affairs Minister Azam Khan also signifies a growing rift within the party over the government`s handling of the issue.
The top SP leadership is meeting today in the Taj city to deliberate on its strategy in the run-up for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
