'Quami Ekta Dal merger will strengthen Samajwadi Party'

Lucknow: After months of squabble in the Yadav clan and the Samajwadi Party over the merger of mafia-turned-MLA Mukhtar Ansari-led Qaumi Ekta Dal (QED), the party state leader Misbahuddin Ahmad on Friday said that everyone is aware of the merger and there was no need to announce the merger again.

"The people of Purvanchal, the leader of Samajwadi party knows as well the people in charge know that the Quami Ekta Dal and Samajwadi party merger will strengthen the Samajwadi party," Ahmad said while speaking to ANI.

"The merger had been discussed on 21st June and Shivpal Singh Yadav, who is the president of Samajwadi Party, did this on the suggestion of their leader. They had some disagreements between them but later on they had mutually consented to this merger," Ahmad said.

"We welcome this merger of the two parties," he added.

After Shivpal had announced the merger on June21, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had put his foot down against the move, forcing the party`s parliamentary board to take back the decision.

Subsequently Akhilesh went ahead and sacked senior minister Balram Yadav who was believed to have played a key role in the merger but reinstated him later.

The merger has been one of the key issues during the last month`s intra-family feud, with Akhilesh openly showing his reservations about the pact.