Mulayam tried to convince Aparna Yadav not to join BJP: SP chief Akhilesh

Mulayam tried to convince Aparna not to join BJP: SP chief Akhilesh

New Delhi, Jan 19: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said that his father and the party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav tried hard to convince daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav to not join the BJP.

Responding to a question on Aparna Yadav joining the BJP, Akhilesh Yadav said he would like to congratulate her and extend his best wishes to her. "I am also happy that our socialist ideology is expanding. I hope that our ideology will reach there and work to save the constitution and democracy," the SP president said.

"Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) tried very hard to convince her," he said on asking whether efforts were made to stop Aparna Yadav from joining the ruling party.

Aparna Yadav joined the BJP on Wednesday in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and its state chief Swatantra Dev Singh.

After formally joining the party, she expressed her admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She claimed that the nation's interest has always been a priority for her and hailed several schemes of the BJP government for cleanliness, woman empowerment and employment.

Rumours have been doing rounds about Aparna Yadav joining the BJP, and the latest development highlights the rift in the SP's ruling family at a time Akhilesh Yadav has been working to rally the party's base in the run up to the state assembly polls beginning next month.

Meanwhile, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath welcomed her to the party. "She (Aparna Yadav) liked BJP's 'double engine work' and PM Modi's vision. We welcome her in the party," he added.

Aparna Yadav is married to Prateek Yadav, the son of Mulayam Singh Yadav's second wife, while Akhilesh Yadav is his son from the first marriage.