AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Pallavi Patel of Apna Dal (K) during a joint press conference, in Lucknow, Sunday, March 31, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Lucknow: Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) on Sunday formally broke away from the opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc and tied up with Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM to launch a joint front ahead of Lok Sabha polls.
The two opposition parties floated the PDM Nyay Morcha, calling it a front to bring justice to Pichda (backwards), Dalits and Muslims. This is similar to PDA — an acronym for Pichda, Dalit and Alpasankhyak (minorities) — coined by the former Apna Dal (K) ally Samajwadi Party.
Apna Dal (K) leader Pallavi Patel made it clear that the party was no longer an ally of the SP which is a member of the INDIA bloc. "We are not a part of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc now," Apna Dal (K) chief Krishna Patel told PTI.
She also said that her party's alliance with the SP does not exist anymore and blamed Akhilesh Yadav for the breakup. Pallavi Patel told PTI that it was SP chief Akhilesh Yadav who said that the alliance with Apna Dal was for the 2022 Assembly elections, and not for the Lok Sabha polls.
"We were invited by the Congress to be a part of the INDI alliance and they should have made it clear whether we are a part of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc or not? But the Congress did not take much interest," Pallavi Patel said.
Pallavi Patel along with her mother Krishna Patel, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Owaisi and leaders of other political parties held a joint press conference to announce the formation of the PDM Nyay Morcha.
Pallavi Patel also indicated that Owaisi can look after the interests of Muslims better than SP chief Yadav.
"Without this (PDM) 'morcha', no government will be formed in the country," Pallavi Patel told reporters.
Asked if the A in PDA was replaced with M due to Owaisi, Pallavi Patel said, 'If this is the result of the company of Owaisi sahab, then what is the harm in it? The fight for social justice should be fought with transparency.' 'There was confusion surrounding the alphabet A as in some cases, it stood for 'aadhi aabaadi' (half the population), sometimes it was 'agrhaa' (upper caste), sometimes it stood for 'alpasankhyak' (minorities) and sometimes, it stood for 'Adivasi' (tribals),' she added.
"I am of the view that there should not be any confusion in politics. So, to remove the confusion about A, we have worked to make those (people) join, who have been victims of social, economic and political exploitation," she said.
Currently, Pallavi Patel is an SP MLA from the Sirathu Assembly constituency in Kaushambi district.
Asked if the PDM can safeguard the interests of the 'alpasankhyak', Owaisi said, "You can see what happened in Moradabad (Lok Sabha seat). S T Hasan was the leader of the party in the Lok Sabha, and he was insulted and mistreated."
Samajwadi Party's Moradabad MP S T Hasan was denied a ticket by the party. Owaisi also said that the fight has to be taken beyond the parliamentary elections and exuded confidence that the people of Uttar Pradesh will support the PDM.
Krishna Patel urged the workers of all the parties of the PDM Nyay Morcha to unite for the Lok Sabha polls and strengthen the alliance.
The Apna Dal (K) on March 22 expressed displeasure over not being given any seat by the I.N.D.I.A. bloc for the Lok Sabha polls. It also said that the opposition alliance leaders should clarify if Apna Dal (K) was still part of the bloc.
The development came after the SP chief's remarks that the alliance with Apna Dal (K) was for the 2022 Assembly elections and not the Lok Sabha polls.
Yadav made the comments after Apna Dal (K) said that it would be contesting three Lok Sabha seats -- Phulpur, Mirzapur and Kaushambi.
Pallavi Patel contested the 2022 Assembly elections from the Sirathu seat on an SP ticket and defeated BJP candidate and deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.
Asked if she would resign as MLA, Pallavi Patel said, "I am not an MLA of the Samajwadi Party. I am an MLA of the Apna Dal's alliance. However, SP has the right to ask for my resignation and expel me."
The rift between the SP and the Apna Dal came out in the open during the recent Rajya Sabha election when Pallavi Patel insisted that she would only vote for PDA candidates.
Two of the three SP candidates were not from any of the three groups.
The Mirzapur Lok Sabha seat is currently represented by Union minister and Apna Dal (Sonelal) chief Anupriya Patel. The Phulpur and Kaushambi Lok Sabha constituencies are also represented by BJP MPs.