'Humiliated' Quami Ekta Dal blames Akhilesh Yadav for cancellation of merger

Lucknow: Feeling "humiliated" after cancellation of its merger with Samajwadi Party, Quami Ekta Dal (QED) leader Afzal Ansari on Tuesday blamed Uttar Pradesh Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav for calling it off because of "ego" and for his own "branding".

"CM Akhilesh is responsible for cancellation of the merger. He (Akhilesh) has hijacked the party and with his ego, positive attempts of party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brother Shivpal has no meaning," Ansari said.

"I am feeling humiliated and hurt due to the decision. Even Mulayam and Shivpal and many leaders of the party in eastern UP are not happy with the decision of calling off the merger," he said.

Announcing QED's decision to field candidates in 44 seats in 18 districts of eastern UP for Assembly elections in 2017, Ansari said his party would show SP its "real place".
"We are also not averse to tie up with like-minded parties in western UP for fielding candidates," he said.

Taking potshots at SP, Ansari said," In the recently held Rajya Sabha polls, the party had not applied its mind before taking votes of QED MLAs Sigbatullaha Ansari and Mukhtar Ansari, but soon after it they started seeing Mukhtar as mafia."

QED had merged with SP on June 21 and, on the same day, Akhilesh had sacked cabinet minister Balram Yadav for reportedly facilitating the controversial merger.

Later, SP parliamentary board cancelled the merger and revoked the expulsion of the minister from the cabinet. He has since been re-inducted.