Grand alliance wouldn't have crumbled had Mulayam led it: Shivpal Yadav

AZAMGARH (UP): Had the grand alliance in Bihar been led by Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, it would not have crumbled, party leader Shivpal Yadav said here today.

Shivpal also said if Mulayam does not get "due respect" in the party, he would constitute a 'Samajwadi Secular Morcha' within the next two months.

The Mulayam loyalist was speaking to reporters on the shock decision by Nitish Kumar to walk out of the 'mahagathbandhan' with the RJD and Congress and join hands with the BJP.

"There was nothing like grand alliance there (in Bihar). Had it been led by 'netaji', it would not have witnessed this fate," Shivpal said, using the epithet commonly used by supporters to address Mulayam.

On his plans to constitute the Samajwadi Secular Morcha, he said he was travelling across the state and meeting party workers. "If 'netaji' does not get his due respect in the party (SP), I will constitute it within the next two months."

Shivpal also dismissed talk of Mulayam getting the governorship of a state. "Even if such offers come, 'netaji' will not accept it."

He also took a swipe at the Uttar Pradesh government saying the crime graph has "certainly increased" in the state and needs to be tackled.