In joint rally with RLD’s Jayant Singh, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav says ‘red cap’ will throw BJP out of power in UP

SP president Akhilesh Yadav and RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary shake hands on November 23, 2021. (PC-Twitter/@yadavakhilesh)

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Lok Dal’s (RLD) Jayant Chaudhary announced on December 7 their alliance for Uttar Pradesh elections 2022 at a joint rally in Meerut district.

Yadav and Chaudhary, who has started referring himself as Jayant Singh, arrived for the rally, ‘Parivartan Sandesh’ in Dabathua area of Meerut district, in the same helicopter.

READ: 'Red caps cared only about red beacons': PM Modi takes a jab at SP during Gorakhpur event

Speaking on the occasion, Yadav, the former UP chief minister, attacked the ruling BJP over “unfulfilled" election promises and alleged that it practises the politics of polarisation.

Yadav’s attack on BJP from Western Uttar Pradesh came on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was addressing a rally after inauguration of development projects in eastern Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur region.

भाजपा के लिए ‘रेड एलर्ट’ है महंगाई का; बेरोज़गारी-बेकारी का; किसान-मज़दूर की बदहाली का; हाथरस, लखीमपुर, महिला व युवा उत्पीड़न का; बर्बाद शिक्षा, व्यापार व स्वास्थ्य का और ‘लाल टोपी’ का क्योंकि वो ही इस बार भाजपा को सत्ता से बाहर करेगी।

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लाल का इंक़लाब होगा
बाइस में बदलाव होगा! pic.twitter.com/NPDAGzzjIi

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) December 7, 2021

“'Red Alert' for BJP is of inflation; of unemployment-unemployment; of the plight of the farmer-labourer; Hathras, Lakhimpur, women and youth oppression; Wasted education, business and health and 'Lal Topi' because it will throw BJP out of power this time,” Yadav said in a tweet sharing his photo from the rally with Chaudhary.

Yadav was referring to a comment by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he said that those wearing lal topi (red caps) cared only about lal batti (red beacons) when they were in power, in an apparent jibe at the Samajwadi Party (SP), the erstwhile ruling party of the state. Red caps are popular among the leaders of Samajwadi Party, which identifies itself to socialist ideology.

Chaudhary also shared his picture from the stage from Meerut with Akhilesh Yadav on twitter saying “thank you, Meerut,” in Hindi.

धन्यवाद #मेरठ! #परिवर्तन_संदेश_रैली pic.twitter.com/VOeG2xfhHa

— Jayant Singh (@jayantrld) December 7, 2021

The Samajwadi Party and RLD had earlier entered into alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The alliance is now aiming to capitalise on the farming belt in western Uttar Pradesh where resentment had been building over the now-repealed farm laws.

The two parties sealed the poll alliance on November 23 ahead of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh scheduled early next year.

Also, read: UP Assembly Polls: SP, RLD seal alliance, formal announcement soon

SP is the principal opposition party in Uttar Pradesh while RLD is the regional powerhouse in the western region of the poll-bound state. Sources said RLD is likely to contest 35-40 seats, mostly in western Uttar Pradesh, in alliance with the SP. UP has 403 assembly seats.

Of about 100 seats in Western UP, the BJP won 76 in 2017 assembly polls. RLD had won one seat.

The SP-RLD alliance was expected since the two parties have been contesting elections together for quite some time now. The two parties have contested all assembly and Lok Sabha by-election together since 2017 UP assembly polls.

ALSO READ: In-Depth | UP elections 2022: Is BJP on strong ground to retain power in India's most bellwether state? 

The SP has already announced an alliance with Om Prakash Rajbhar’s eastern UP-based Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) and a few small parties, including the Mahan Dal.