SP to contest 2017 UP assembly elections alone: Akhilesh

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today said the Samajwadi Party (SP) will contest the coming 2017 Assembly elections in the state alone on the basis of its development works.
"Samajwadi Party will not join hands with any other party in the coming Vidhan Sabha elections .. . We will go alone and contest on the development works done by our government", Yadav told newspersons on the sidelines of a programme.
"Our government has done a lot of work... Fulfilled the promises made in the election manifesto... Why are the other parties not talking about development, they too should have concern for it," Yadav said.

Attacking BJP and BSP, SP's main rivals in UP, Akhilesh
Yadav said one of them has made life difficult for people and forced them to break their piggy banks, a reference to demonetization, while another does not believe in speaking out.
His referring to Mayawati as 'bua' was not about personal but political relationship as people much senior to him in politics called her 'Behen ji', he said.

"I gave her more respect but she has not accepted it. I will no longer call her 'bua'," he said.
Asked about his bitter fight with 'chacha' Shivpal Yadav, the UP Chief Minister quipped that there should be talk about "uncle", a reference to Amar Singh, too.

Without naming him, Akhilesh said Mulayam had brought him in party to strengthen it and his "language and behaviour should be in a manner that helps SP form the government again."
Asked if he wanted to sack Amar Singh from the party, he said, "If I had been state president of the party, I would have made a proposal and sent to neta ji (Mualayam)."
He, however, did not elaborate on this. Akhilesh was the state president before he was replaced by Shivpal.
Apparently attacking Amar Singh, he said "if somebody brings a type-writer from outside" so that the decision of his removal could be faxed to him, then he will not accept it.

To a question if he wanted to form his own party, he said "in politics, you should sack those from the party who want to sack you. This is our party."
Responding to BJP's barb that demonetization had harmed SP as the alleged illicit money kept by it for the polls is no longer useful, he said the decision will help his party as leaders and workers of other outfits will be forced to use cycle, SP's election symbol.
A grand alliance like Bihar is not possible in UP, he added.
Asked about differences between him and his father, he responded in lighter vein that he was a footballer while Mulayam was a wrestler.

He, however, insisted that all the infighting in his party had not made any impact on his government's performance and cited the Metro work in Lucknow and Luchnow-Agra expressway as evidence.
He also supported West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her attack on the central government, saying if anything happens in a state, the Chief Minister should be informed.