Lucknow: The leaders of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), an alliance partner of the BJP, which has won two seats in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha polls, on Saturday demanded cabinet berth for party president Jayant Chaudhary.
The RLD leaders, who held a meeting in Saharanpur, also adopted a resolution in this regard.
''Jayanat Chaudhary must be included as a cabinet minister in the Narendra Modi government....his inclusion will be akin to honouring the farmers,'' senior RLD leader Chaudhary Neerpal Singh said after the meeting.
Singh said that the NDA government had honoured former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh with Bharat Ratna and that Jayant Chaudhary would only take Charan Singh's dreams forward by strengthening the farmers financially.
The demand for a cabinet berth to Jayant was being perceived as a pressure tactic by the RLD, which had won two LS seats in the state. RLD was allotted two seats by the BJP. "Our strike rate is hundred percent," said an RLD leader.
The demand comes amid allegations by the Samajwadi Party (SP) that Jayant was not given a place on the stage during the NDA meeting at the old Parliament building on Friday and had to sit in the third row.
''The leaders of the parties which have only one seat were given a place on the state but Jayant whose party has two LS seats was made to sit in the third row....BJP's fake respect for Chaudhary Charan Singh and Jayant stands exposed,'' SP said in a post on 'X'.
The RLD leaders, however, said that Jayant had reached late in the meeting and he preferred to sit in the third row though he was asked by union minister Rajnath Singh to come to the stage but he remained seated there.
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