Lalu to campaign for Akhilesh Yadav in UP polls

PTI

Published : Jan 18, 2017, 8:10 pm IST

Updated : Jan 18, 2017, 9:17 pm IST

Stating that his party would not contest the UP polls, the RJD president said he would instead campaign for Akhilesh to defeat BJP.

Patna: RJD President Lalu Prasad said on Wednesday that his party would not field any candidate in Uttar Pradesh elections and would campaign for Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to ensure victory of socialist forces.

Addressing party workers after former Union minister Raghunath Jha joined RJD, Yadav made a scathing attack on BJP, saying that he would work to ensure the defeat of saffron forces in the UP polls.

"UP election is not an election of one state but of the entire country. After ensuring defeat of BJP in UP we would uproot the saffron party headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019," Yadav said.

"I would campaign for Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to ensure victory of socialist forces," he added. The RJD chief said he would talk to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to work jointly to ensure victory of socialist forces in the most populous state.

Yadav said he would invite prominent leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and leaders of CPI and CPI(M) in the rally RJD would organise against demonetisation in Patna soon.

The RJD supremo, who is on forefront of fight against note ban, said more than 40,000 workers in unorganised sectors have been rendered jobless after the decision.