New Delhi: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday extended his unconditional support to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.
The SP announced the decision at the Mahila Adalat event conducted by AAP in Delhi on Monday. SP national president Akhilesh Yadav said the AAP should get a chance to serve people in Delhi once again. This was the first occasion when Akhilesh Yadav participated in a program organised by Aam Aadmi Party. There he supported Arvind Kejriwal's statement regarding security arrangements in Delhi.
“I congratulate everyone for the event organised by AAP. The work done by the AAP government is commendable and we believe they should get another chance to serve the people of Delhi,” Yadav said, signalling his party’s preference for AAP over Congress in the upcoming polls.
Arvind Kejriwal, thanking Akhilesh for his decision said, 'On behalf of the mothers and sisters of Delhi, I thank SP chief Akhilesh Yadav for joining the Mahila Adalat today and supporting this new initiative of women's safety and empowerment.'
On the other hand, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor criticized AAP's Mahila Adalat, saying Arvind Kejriwal should have ensured justice for Swati Maliwal by excluding Vibhav. Kapoor also slammed Kejriwal for inviting Akhilesh Yadav to the program, calling it an insult to Nirbhaya's memory.
He questioned Kejriwal's decision to share the stage with Yadav, given his father Mulayam Singh Yadav's past comments defending youths who harass women, saying "boys make mistakes." Kapoor asked if Kejriwal has the courage to demand an apology from Yadav for his father's statement, which offended women across the country.