SP enjoys 'unflinching support' of minorities, says Mulayam

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Press Trust of India Lucknow
Last Updated : May 13 2016 | 5:22 PM IST
Claiming his party enjoys "unflinching support" of minorities, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav said the community in Uttar Pradesh has never sided with any political party for such a long time.
"The party has unflinching support of minorities due to their trust in us. They have never remained with any party for such a long time," he said.
The former chief minister was addressing a press conference where former Union minister Beni Prasad Verma formally joined the SP after leaving Congress.
Mulayam further said minorities have always been ignored by all the other political parties in the state and it was the SP which first raised the issues of their concern.
"All the police stations in the state now have at least three or four Muslim constables...We are the ones who work in their interest," said the veteran politician.
Praising his son and current Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam said that the CM had fulfilled all the promises made before the 2012 Assembly elections in two-and-a-half years and now, new projects have been initiated.
"The metro rail work has started. An expressway from Agra to Ballia is on the cards. Though, initially I was against the metro project, Akhilesh insisted on it. Now, I have asked him to complete the project soon. What is the use, if work starts only before elections," Mulayam asked.
Replying to a query on the possibility of the SP joining the grand alliance again, Mulayam said, "Ask this question to Nitish (Kumar)."
Interrupting him, SP leader Azam Khan said, "Yahan toh hum hi hum hain. Bihar ki baat alag thi" (In UP, it is only us. The situation in Bihar was different).
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First Published: May 13 2016 | 5:22 PM IST

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