Shahid Siddiqui has resigned from his post and the party's primary membership.
Shahid Siddiqui, the national vice president of Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), has resigned from the party, over Jayant Chaudhary”s decision to forge an alliance with the BJP for the Lok Sabha elections. On Monday, he announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he has resigned from his post and the party”s primary membership, saying the Constitution and democratic structure are under threat and remaining silent is a sin.
Siddiqui expressed the complexity of his decision, acknowledging his deep-rooted respect for Jayant Chaudhary and the RLD”s unwavering commitment to secularism and constitutional principles. However, he lamented his inability to reconcile his personal convictions with the party”s alignment with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which he said is incompatible with his core beliefs.
“Today, when India”s Constitution and democratic structure are in danger, remaining silent is a sin. I am grateful to Jayant ji but with a heavy heart I am forced to distance myself from RLD,” Shahid Siddiqui said in a post on X.
In his resignation letter addressed to Jayant Chaudhary, he said, “We have worked together for 6 long years and have respect for each other. I, for one, look upon you more as a younger brother than a colleague. We have stood shoulder to shoulder on significant issues and at creating an atmosphere of brotherhood and respect among different communities.”
Jayant Chaudhary, after months of speculation, joined the NDA after the Centre conferred his late grandfather and former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh with the Bharat Ratna.
“No one can doubt your commitment to secularism and the Constitutional values we both cherish. From the time of your late grandfather, Bharat Ratna Choudhary Charan Singhji, your late father Ajit Singhji and yourself—all of you, as indeed the party you created have stood for these values,” he added.
The RLD, which recently declared its candidates for two seats in Uttar Pradesh for the coming Lok Sabha elections, fought the 2014 elections in alliance with the Congress and in 2019, it fought in alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
“However now with the RLD becoming a part of the NDA puts me in a bind and in a piquant situation. I have struggled long and hard in my mind and heart but find myself unable to be associated with an alliance headed by the BJP. I am aware of your political compulsions and am not in a position to advise you otherwise. But speaking for myself I am constrained to withdraw myself from this ongoing campaign, as indeed from the RLD,” Siddiqui wrote.
With the RLD set to contest two Lok Sabha seats in Baghpat and Bijnor, Jayant Chaudhary”s party, historically influential in western Uttar Pradesh, faces a critical juncture as it aligns with the BJP, particularly in a region where the Jat community holds sway.
In Uttar Pradesh, where political alliances hold immense significance due to its substantial share of 80 parliamentary seats, the BJP-led coalition, inclusive of RLD, SBSP, Apna Dal (S), and Nishad Party, seeks to win as many seats as possible.
While Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, member of the opposition INDIA bloc, is fighting the election with Congress, Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party will contest solo.
The Lok Sabha elections, scheduled in seven phases, will start from April 19. Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha, will vote in all seven phases. The votes will be counted on June 4.
