After Shivpal calls for new party, Akhilesh pitches for secular politics

Lucknow: Hours after senior Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav announced the formation of the 'Samajwadi Secular Morcha', former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday pitched for a secular brand politics.

"The nation needs a government which is secular and would promote development. We should encourage secular politics," Akhilesh said at a cultural meet here.

Taking a dig at Shivpal, he said, "We are politicians, we can easily identify 'Aasteen ke Saanp' (foe in the disguise of a friend)."

Shivpal Yadav had earlier announced the formation of the 'Samajwadi Secular Morcha' to be led by Mulayam Singh Yadav.

"In order to restore his (Mulayam) lost dignity and to bring all Samajwadis together, there will soon be an announcement of this secular front in Lucknow," Shivpal told ANI.

Shivpal will soon be meeting state and national level leaders regarding the same. The party will also include minorities, farmers and youth.

Earlier in April, Shivpal had urged Akhilesh to embrace Mulayam as the party head again.

Shivpal asserted, that Akhilesh should first unite the party and the family.

"He should unite the whole family and the party. He should fulfill what he had said. He should fulfill his moral duty. Akhilesh should now embrace Mulayam Singh as the national chief of the party again," said Shivpal.

In April, Mulayam had blamed Akhilesh for the Samajwadi Party's poor performance in the assembly elections and said that his son had insulted him and the voters understood that "one who is not loyal to his father, cannot be loyal to anyone" which led to the party's poll debacle.

"I was badly insulted, which I had never faced in my life. Nevertheless, I tolerated it. No leader of any party in India has made his son a chief minister during his lifetime, but I made Akhilesh the Chief Minister of UP," he said.

The Samajwadi Party got only 47 seats out 403 in the Uttar Pradesh elections.