Re-elected SP prez Akhilesh urges partymen to gear up for 2019 LS polls

Agra, Oct 5: Amid bickering within the first family of SP, the re-elected national president of the party Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday called on the workers and leaders to brace themselves to take on the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Mr Yadav was re-elected president of the SP for next five years, after the Constitution of the party was amended in the absence of party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brother Shivpal Singh Yadav. In his brief address after being re-elected, the president said, “I had told Netaji (Mulayam) that if you come, we will be honoured. I had called him yesterday and today too before reaching the venue. I told him, if you don’t bless us, we will not progress. Netaji blessed me over the phone today morning. Kiranmoy Nanda (the national vice president) too got blessings from Netaji today.” Earlier, it was said that 'netaji' would attend the Agra meet but later he skipped it and was closeted with his brother Shivpal at his residence in Lucknow, when Akhilesh was being re-elected the party president. "The path of politics is always difficult and hard. We will fight for people's cause and will be successful. The farmers of the entire country are in problem. "The current UP government has cheated farmers with its loan waiver scheme," he said. The tenth national convention of the SP is being held at the Central Telegraph ground in Agra Cantonment, where around 25,000 party leaders from 25 states are participating. The SP president attacked BJP governments in UP and at the Centre over demonetisation and GST. Demonetisation had halted traders’ business and GST finished them, he added. "Unemployment is a serious problem in the country and the BJP has totally failed to address the issue," he claimed. "BJP always makes false promises and ditch the countrymen by going against their assurances to solve the problem of the masses," he added. 'Since Agra is our lucky charm, this convention will lead the party to a grand success in future elections,' he further said. Mr Akhilesh Yadav will also present the concluding address in the convention later this afternoon. Party's secretary general Prof Ram Gopal Yadav tabled the political and economic resolutions which attacked the BJP government at the Centre as well as in UP.  UNI