By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net,
Lucknow: In the party hopping season, former minister and general secretary of Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) Anuradha Choudhary joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Sunday.
Along with her, former MP Shahid Siddiqui also rejoined the SP while RLD MLA Vimla Singh, other leaders as Khalid Masood who is also former president of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) also joined the Mulayam brigade.
Justifying her decision, Anuradha remarked: “I left the party because of Ajit Singh’s unholy alliance with Congress. I was inspired by Choudhary Charan Singh’s ideologies and joined RLD 16 years back. Ajit Singh changed many alliances but this time he kept aside farmer’s issues for his ministerial berth”.
Insiders confided that Anuradha was being sidelined in the party with the rise of Jayant Choudhary in the RLD. She was even denied ticket in assembly elections. She lost the 2009 Lok Sabha election. Two seats on which were being eyed by Anuradha Shamli and Kairana were gifted to Congress in the alliance.
“Yes giving away winning seats had hurt me but Ajit Singh while joining the UPA did not commit anything on land acquisition issue. It is a burning issue as Rahul Gandhi himself came to Bhatta Parsaul but no new land acquisition bill was tabled in the Parliament. There are no ethics in the alliance of Ajit Singh,” she said.
Journalist and politician Shahid Siddiqui has come from BSP. A couple of days back, Dr. Mohd. Tasleem Rahmani, national secretary of Azamgarh-based Rashtriya Ulema Council also joined Samajwadi Party. He was also present with Mulayam Singh at today’s program.