Working for a grand, anti-BJP alliance: Sharad Yadav

Former JD(U) MP Sharad Yadav on Thursday exuded the confidence of forming a grand alliance against "communal" BJP before 2019 general elections to stop the communalism being spread by the saffron party.

"The biggest fight in the country is for social justice. Only this can stop the communalism being spread by the BJP. I am touring the entire country and meeting people. I hope a grand alliance will come up against the BJP by 2019," he told PTI.

Yadav, who was once the NDA convenor said, "I am working to unite parties against the BJP as its ideology is communal. When I was the NDA convenor, it was under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani and it had a national agenda, which has changed now."

"This agenda has turned divisive now. The present government at the Centre is dividing people in the name of religion," he said in an interview here.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is only taking a round of temples and making unconstitutional statements, he said.

Asked about his role in the alliance proposed by him, Yadav said, "Let it materialise first. My objective is to unite the opposition. I have been an MP for eleven terms and resigned four times. This time around, I've got time (after revocation of his membership following dispute in JD(U) to travel across the country and unite people."

Terming defeat of the BJP and victory of the Samajwadi party in Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha bypolls as "significant", Yadav said the "message of this victory in CM and deputy CM's constituencies have gone to the entire country. People have now realised their power".

Claiming that the BJP would taste defeat in 2019, Yadav said, "The BJP and its allies got maximum seats in UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. But the political equations have changed now there. No section of the society is happy with the BJP. This time Hindu-Muslim agenda of the BJP is not going to work," he said.

Accusing the BJP of resorting to "political corruption", Yadav said, "in Goa and Manipur, the Congress got maximum seats but the BJP formed the government. In Meghalaya too, the Congress was the largest party.

The BJP has abandoned political dignity and morality. Its only agenda is to grab power by forming a government."

Asked about the fears against misuse of EVMs, Yadav said, "Even Hitler could not suppress the people's will. Gorakhpur and Phulpur elections too were held through EVMs."

Asked about the possible seat he may chose to contest the next Lok Sabha elections, Yadav said, "I have not yet decided about my self."

Yadav, who was here recently, had met SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav and discussed political situation with him, also expressed desire to meet BSP chief Mayawati in coming days.

"The NDA is a sinking ship. In the days to come, its allies will part ways. The NDA agenda has turned divisive. After Shiv Sena, TDP too has left NDA. Before soon, no one will be left in the NDA," Yadav had claimed after meeting Akhilesh.

On his fight with the JD(U) leadership, he said he was contesting a case in the court and also before the EC. He added that he was also exploring a name for his new party.

PTI