Will ally with uncle Shivpal Yadav's party, give him full respect: Akhilesh

Ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday announced that his party will form an alliance with his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav's party and will give him "full respect".

While speaking to reporters during his visit to Safai to meet party workers on the occasion of Diwali, Yadav also shared his plan of forging an alliance with small regional parties in the state for the upcoming Assembly elections.

"It has been the endeavour of the Samajwadi Party to stitch an alliance with smaller parties. Naturally, we are going to forge an alliance with the party of Uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav as well. Samajwadi Party will give him full respect," said UP Former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Shivpal Singh Yadav formed Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (PSP) last year after leaving the Samajwadi Party. Shivpal left after Akhilesh Yadav took over the reins of the Samajwadi Party from his father Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Reacting to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's statement on Monday that Yadav should apologise for comparing Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel with Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the SP chief said, "Bharatiya Janata Party does politics of hate. They are always looking for an issue to do politics over hatred. They will not debate on employment or development."

Further, Yadav also slammed the BJP-led state government over the issue of inflation.

"Farmers are forced to sell their harvest in fewer amounts than what the government has declared. Electricity, pesticides, medicines, vegetables, every essential commodity is costly but when is the government going to control it? Businesses have suffered a lot during the times of the COVID-19 pandemic and they are still facing the financial crunch," said Yadav.

Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are slated to be held early next year.