Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) President and Lok Sabha MP from Nagaur Hanuman Beniwal, who broke his ties with the NDA during farmers’ agitation on the Delhi border, on Thursday said he was trying to form a ‘third front’ with AAP, BSP, CPI-M and Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP) in the next month’s assembly polls in Rajasthan.
“The third front will not have any alliance with either the ruling Congress or the Opposition BJP as they were always against farmers, the poor, Dalits, women and the youths, busy minting money through corruption,” Beniwal, who is on “Satta Sankalp Yatra” with an aim to change the government, told The Statesman from Sikar-Neemka Thana region.
“If the third front does not emerge, the RLP would contest on all 200 assembly seats,” Beniwal said, adding, “I will also contest this election from the Nagaur district, and if allowed by the party workers from another seat in the state”.
The RLP, which had garnered 2.40 per cent of votes (8,56,038 votes) in the assembly elections 2018, prefers to give tickets to youth.
Claiming an overwhelming response for his Satta Sankalp Yatra for change of government, Beniwal said he had held about 60 meetings since September 28 which began from Salasar Balaji Temple in Churu and would continue for one more week.
When asked why he would like to shift to state politics from national politics, he said, “There is a lot of scope and work for public welfare. In Lok Sabha, all 24 BJP MPs never tried to raise any real issue and it was me who was actively taking up matters from Rajasthan. BJP MPs have been working under Modi’s guidance, nothing else.”
On the Women Reservation Bill, he asked, “When will he (Modiji) implement it? The NDA Government should give an exact date and answer why they have put a rider of fresh census and delimitation of the constituencies.”
Blasting the Gehlot Government’s failure on law and order front, conducting fair competitive examinations, women’s safety, jobs to youth, non-payment or crop loan waiver to farmers and their suicides, Beniwal predicted the next government would not be formed without the support of ‘third front’ parties or Independents?”
It is pertinent to mention that since the 2003 elections, no third front of small parties could get voters’ support. A small group of political fronts like ‘Samajik Nayay Manch’ led by Devi Singh Bhati (who now joined BJP again), National People Party (NPP) led by Kirorilal Meena (now in BJP), Bharat Vahini Party led by BJP rebel G S Tiwari (who is now BJP RS MP) tried their luck but miserably failed even to secure their own seat in the previous assembly polls since 2003.