Another face-off in Apna Dal factions

Lucknow: It is now Yogi Adityanath versus Hardik Patel. On Sunday, to mark the birth anniversary of Sonelal Patel, the founder of the Apna Dal, the two warring factions have lined up for a show of strength.

Union minister Anupriya Patel will hold a rally in Rohaniya, Varanasi, on Sunday, in which Mr Adityanath will be the chief guest.

This will be the first joint rally of the BJP and Apna Dal after the Assembly elections earlier this year.

The rival faction led by Krishna Patel will hold a rally in Allahabad, to which Patidar leader Hardik Patel has been invited. The local administration in Allahabad said they had no information of Hardik Patel’s presence at the rally.

Last year, the two factions of the Apna Dal had held parallel functions on the birth and death anniversary of its founder president.

Apna Dal (Sonelal) president Ashish Singh Patel, husband of Anupriya Patel, said the people had accepted his faction as the real Apna Dal.

“We won nine of the 11 seats in the Assembly elections, which prove that the people are on our side. I do not wish to comment on what the rival faction is doing. We are holding our annual rally in Rohaniya and an estimated two lakh participants are expected,” he said.

Ms Krishna Patel, on the other hand, said that her estranged daughter Anupriya Patel is completely dependent on the BJP for survival.

“They (Anupriya) have strayed from the path of social justice and have done nothing for the Kurmi community, which forms the core vote base of the Apna Dal,” she added.