Exclusive: Battle is between SP and BJP in UP, says Imran Masood

Congress leader and a prominent Muslim leader of western Uttar Pradesh, Imran Masood shared his sentiments before going joining Samajwadi Party and said, "The battle in Uttar Pradesh has completely turned into SP vs BJP, and its become our compulsion to make a decision between these two."

Lucknow:Congress leader and a prominent Muslim leader of western Uttar Pradesh Imran Masood shared his sentiments before going to join Samajwadi Party and said, "The battle in Uttar Pradesh has completely turned into SP vs BJP, and its become our compulsion to make a decision between these two."

This development is been seen as a major setback for Congress which is struggling for its ground in UP ahead of assembly polls. Earlier, Imran Masood had a meeting with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and after consulting with his supporters in Saharanpur, two days ago he made the announcement of going with SP.

While interacting with ETV Bharat Imran Masood said that "the present situation in Uttar Pradesh is quite apparent to all. Youths and farmers are all worried. Because youngsters don't have employment, farmers are not getting the cost for their crops and the whole state has been in a limbo,"

Over a question that, it's been said that you are not getting access to the high command that is why quitting Congress, Masood said, "Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi have always been accessible to me and I always got respect from their side. They had done a lot for me and for that I will be always be obliged to them."

"Whenever needed Priyanka Gandhi called me and whenever I wanted to meet her I got the time. So it's completely wrong that I didn't have access to them.", he added further. It was the political situation that forced me to take this decision, explained Masood.

Imran Masood was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly in 2007 from the Muzaffarabad seat of Saharanpur.