The Rangsharda Auditorium in Bandra witnessed a vibrant celebration as the 37 Lok Sabha members of the Samajwadi Party (SP) from Uttar Pradesh were felicitated in a grand welcome party on Friday. The atmosphere was charged with enthusiasm as the MPs and party members resolved to contest the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections with full vigour.
Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's demand for 10-12 assembly seats from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition in Maharashtra was a key highlight of the event. SP leaders exuded confidence, stating that the support of the Samajwadi Party is crucial for forming a government in Maharashtra. This confidence stems from the party's robust performance in Uttar Pradesh, which almost pushed the BJP to the brink.
MP Pushpendra Saroj remarked, ?The Samajwadi Party has alerted the voters of Maharashtra that SP has come to Mumbai in full force. We want to send maximum MLAs to the state assembly.?
The event saw all 37 MPs being felicitated by senior SP leader Abu Aseem Azmi and his colleagues from Maharashtra. Azmi, addressing the gathering, expressed his concern over past incidents of violence against North Indians in Maharashtra. He stated, ?I felt bad when the North Indians were beaten up here. But no one should challenge North Indians.?
Azmi also brought up the ongoing controversy over illegal structures at Vishalgad Fort. ?As many as 3,000 people had gone to destroy illegal structures at the fort and they demolished the mosque. I request the MPs to raise the issue in Parliament,? he said.
Before arriving at the venue, the MPs paid their respects at several significant sites in Mumbai, including the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Shivaji Park, Mani Bhavan Gandhi Museum, Siddhivinayak Mandir in Prabhadevi, Chaitya Bhoomi at Dadar, and Mahim Dargah.
Party MLA Rais Shaikh emphasized the party's commitment to addressing the issues of backward communities, minorities, and North Indians in the Maharashtra state assembly. ?Even though we are just two representatives of the party in the state assembly, we raise problems of backward, minorities and the North Indians in the state assembly,? he said. Shaikh further expressed hope that more representatives would join to strengthen the party.
MP Dharmendra Yadav assured the people of Maharashtra that the Samajwadi Party would safeguard the Constitution of India. ?We want to assure people that Samajwadi Party will not allow anybody to touch the Constitution of India,? he stated.
