'Jayant Will Not Betray Farmers...': Akhilesh Dismisses Rumours Of RLD Joining NDA

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday rubbished the speculations that Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) led by Jayant Chaudhary might switch sides to the National Democratic Alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. He said that the grandson of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh was an educated person and he would not compromise on the fight for farmers.

“Jayant Chaudhary is an educated person and he knows politics very well. I am confident that he will not weaken the fight for farmers,” Akhilesh Yadav said. There are reports that Jayant Chaudhary is in advanced talks with the BJP for a seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The reports came almost three weeks after Yadav declared the Samajwadi Party’s alliance with the RLD for the April-May polls.

“I congratulate everyone on the Rashtriya Lok Dal-SP alliance. Let us all unite for victory!” Akhilesh Yadav posted on X on January 19. He also posted a picture of him shaking hands with Jayant Chaudhary. According to the party sources, RLD agreed to fight in alliance on 7 to 8 seats out of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, with most of the seats in Western UP. The Samajwadi Party is also forging an alliance with the Congress for the Lok Sabha polls with the Congress expected to contest 11 seats.

Dimple Yadav, Shivpal Yadav Back Jayant

Meanwhile, Akhilesh’s wife and Samajwadi Party MP, Dimple Yadav expressed confidence that Chaudhary would not take such a decision. “The way Bharatiya Janata Party has been working against the farmers and the way our wrestlers have been insulted by BJP, I don’t think RLD national president Jayant Chaudhary will take any step that will harm our farmers directly,” she said while speaking to reporters in Parliament in the national capital.

Apart from this, Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav also said that RLD would remain in the INDIA bloc fold. “I know Jayant (Singh) very well. They are secular people. BJP is only misleading using the media. They (RLD) will remain in the INDIA alliance and defeat the BJP,” Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle told reporters here. SP and RLD had contested the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2022 together.