Willing to ally with Congress to defeat BJP in 2019 polls: Shivpal Yadav

Bareilly: Rebel Samajwadi Party 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.

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 BJP, we can also enter into an alliance with the Congress".

Yadav was in Bareilly 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 (rally) to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (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".

Yadav also said 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.