Social engineering did not win UP for BSP: Mulayam

Jabalpur, Mar 28 (UNI) Samajwadi Party President and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today said that the SP faced defeat in Uttar Pradesh not on account of the Bahujan Samaj Party's social engineering but because the image of certain SP leaders was sullied and the entire opposition was united.

''Assembly polls in several states and the general elections are on next year's schedule. There is a need to further strengthen the SP in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,'' he said while addressing the valedictory session of a three-day SP national convention here.

Claiming that SP workers' unity won the recent Lanji bypoll for party candidate Kishor Samrite, he said the next challenge was ensuring victory for Dr Sunilam in the Betul Lok Sabha byelection.

''The Centre's wrong economic policies are leading to spiralling inflation. It is upto the middle class to stage a revolution against inflation, inequality and other problems. Groundwater level decline will lead to an alarming situation by 2025,'' Mr Singh alleged.

The SP would launch an agitation against Uttar Pradesh's Mayawati regime from April 12.

UNI RG-AC 1832