PM Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Mahoba
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today advised Uttar Pradesh to "break the SP-BSP cycle" asking the party to vote for development in the crucial assembly elections to be held early next year.
Addressing a rally in UP's Mahoba, the Prime Minister had ring-side seats to the Samajwadi Party's dramatic meeting in capital Lucknow, where the party's chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had a public showdown with his son and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
"On the one hand there are people who want to save their family," the Prime Minister observed, also attacking Bahujan Samwaj party chief Mayawati when he said, "on the other there are those willing to grab power at any cost." These two parties had no plans for the progress of the state, the Prime Minister alleged, saying his party, the BJP only "wants to serve UP."
"I want to do more work than that done by all PMs elected from UP taken together," promised PM Modi, who is the BJP lawmaker in the Lok Sabha from Varanasi in the state.
Regional heavyweights the Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's BSP have alternately won power in UP for the last few elections. As the Samajwadi Party struggles with its internal crisis, the BSP and BJP hope to capitalise.
The BJP last won UP in 1999. Mayawati, who was unseated in the state by the Samajwadi Party in 2012, hopes to make a comeback this year and would like to see a split in the Samajwadi Party, Her campaign so far has focused on drawing Dalit votes, as well as those of the Muslim community, largely seen to back the Samajwadi Party in UP.
At the beginning of the Lucknow meeting today Akhilesh Yadav sought to quell speculation about a split, saying he was not launching a new party. When his father was speaking however, he jumped on to the stage and interjected and both leaders shouted at each other.
Mulayam Singh Yadav ruled out removing Akhilesh Yadav as Chief Minister, but failed to bridge a big rift with his son, publicly admonishing him and speaking in favour of Akhilesh's chief rivals in the party, uncle Shivpal Yadav and general secretary Amar Singh.