Samajwadi Party family feud forced alliance with Congress: Akhilesh Yadav

Lucknow: If reports are to be believed, a state of incompatibility or disagreement seems to have surfaced in the Samajwadi Party-Congress grand alliance in Uttar Pradesh. 

In an interview to a daily, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has reportedly said that the Samajwadi Party opting for an alliance with Congress merely a month before the state assembly elections was an outcome of the infighting within the Yadav clan. 

However, the Chief Minister added that SP-Congress the alliance also increased the prospects of a regional government coming back to the state.  

"The alliance would not have formed had there been no conflict within the family. The alliance with Congress is good and I share a great equation with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi," Akhilesh Yadav reportedly told a daily. 

"Both Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and I are of the same age and we share similar opinions on a variety of issues," the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said. 

He asserted that the alliance wants the state and the nation to progress.

The Chief Minister also reportedly agreed that there was some bitterness in the past, but things have changed now. Akhilesh further added that his party and Congress are fighting to maintain secularism in the nation.

Akhilesh was previously locked in a bloody battle with his uncle and former Samajwadi Party state president Shivpal Yadav for supremacy. The duo tried scoring over each other through a series of sackings and blame-gaming.

The bitter Samajwadi Party’s family feud still continues between the two factions even as Akhilesh won the fight for party symbol — a cycle. 

On the other hand, after being removed unceremoniously from the post of state president during the recent family feud in the Yadav clan, 'sidelined' Shivpal Yadav had recently announced that he was preparing to float a new party once elections were over on March 11.