Lucknow, Nov 12 (IANS) The Chandra Shekhar Aazad-led Azad Samaj Party-Kanshi Ram and Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM, on Thursday, announced the 'Samajik Parivartan Morcha' alliance for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, with the former being declared the Chief Ministerial candidate. 

Addressing a press conference, Chandra Shekhar Aazad said: "Since yesterday, there has been a lot of speculation about a 'Third Front.' Let me clarify: this is not a 'Third Front', it is a 'Samajik Parivartan Morcha'. In fact, it is not the 'third' at all; this is, in reality, the 'First Front.'

Asserting that the alliance is strong, he said that the front will become an "even more powerful platform for those who are oppressed, helpless, victimised, and exploited".

In a veiled attack on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he said: "Those who don't have political power (in Uttar Pradesh), even if they form a major section of the population, are being subjected to atrocities; encounters and bulldozers are being used to bring down their houses."

"Those who had promised to bring the marginalised to the mainstream, despite being elevated as MLA, MP, Chief Minister and Prime Minister, have not done anything for this section. The governments kept changing and even made several announcements, but even today the 'Bahujan Samaj' is far from receiving the basic facilities, including better schools and hospitals," Aazad added.

Criticising the BJP-led government in the state, the Azad Samaj Party chief said: "Parents who struggled against the system, often taking on debt, to educate and raise their children now see those very educated young people suffering the brunt of unemployment. There is no one to look after them. And if anyone dares to raise their voice or fight for their rights, they are met with the government’s heavy-handedness, facing legal cases and police batons."

The Lok Sabha MP also referred to the Yogi government's directive, which declared individuals associated with organisations advocating violent changes to the existing social system, as ineligible for appointment to government jobs.

"The truth is, we are denied justice both in life and in death," Aazad stated.

Targeting the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, he said: "Many promised to oust the Bharatiya Janata Party. We waited through 2014, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2024. Yet, the BJP has not been removed; instead, it has only grown more powerful."

"Therefore, we have now decided to stop getting humiliated," he added.

On the 'Samajik Parivartan Morcha', Owaisi said: "I can say with confidence that this will serve as a strong alternative in Uttar Pradesh, working to prevent the BJP from returning to power for a third term."

"The communities that Chandra Shekhar Aazad and I belong to, along with all those from backward or oppressed sections, regardless of their caste, have historically been used merely as 'voters'. Youths have been left unemployed, and farmers' issues have also not been solved yet," he said.

Owaisi announced that Aazad will be the Chief Ministerial candidate for the alliance.

"We will all work together to ensure not only the success of this alliance but also that the people of Uttar Pradesh benefit from its success. Any subsequent transformation will take place once Chandra Shekhar Aazad sahab becomes the Chief Minister, and we will fulfil all those commitments," he stated.

--IANS