Shivpal Yadav says his party willing to support Congress, days after he hinted at support to SP-BSP alliance to defeat BJP

Bareilly: Rebel Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Shivpal Yadav, who recently floated the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia), has said he was willing to join hands with the Congress to defeat the BJP in the coming Lok Sabha elections. [caption id=“attachment_3074852” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Senior Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav. PTI[/caption] To a question on the possibility of coalitions for the next year’s Lok Sabha polls, he said, “We have our party’s organisation in 75 districts of the state…the party has decided to contest all the seats against the BJP. To defeat the saffron party, we can also enter into an alliance with the Congress”. Shivpal was in Bareilly on Tuesday night to take part in a programme. The estranged uncle of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav stressed that all those talking about forming a morcha to defeat the BJP should also talk to his party which was ready to deliberate on the issue. On the controversy over Lord Hanuman, the rebel leader said, “He is a God and those who are out to confine him to a particular caste have a very narrow mindset”. Shivpal also opined that Ram temple should not come up on a land which was under dispute. “Lot of land is lying around River Saryu…if the temple is built there, I am also ready to contribute to it,” he said, while asserting that the Supreme Court’s verdict in the matter should not be defied. The Supreme Court is scheduled to take up a batch of petitions for hearing in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case on January 4.