Lucknow, January 16: Bahujan Samaj Party Leader (BSP) Vijay Yadav, in a controversial statement at a Moradabad rally on Tuesday, said that "These BJP workers will be beaten (by us) in broad daylight and they will have to run for cover". He further said that now that BSP and SP have joined hands for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP workers are losing sleep over it. Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav Announce Seat-Sharing Pact For 2019 Lok Sabha Elections: 'BSP, SP to Contest 38 Seats Each in Uttar Pradesh'.

"Ghabrane ki zaroorat nahi hai. Aaj inhe nani yaad aa gai hogi, mari hui nani, ki SP-BSP ek hogaye" said Vijay Yadav while addressing the rally.

Watch the Video of the BSP Leader Making the Controversial Remark at the Rally:

On January 12, at a press conference by BSP supremo Mayawati and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati confirmed that both SP and BSP would contest 38 Lok Sabha seats, while leaving two seats for Congress in Raebareli and Amethi. Also, two seats would be left for other possible parties in the alliance. Election Throwback: SP, BSP Gathbandhan in 1993 Subdued BJP's 'Ram Mandir Wave' in UP.

Small parties in Uttar Pradesh on Monday expressed mixed reactions over the tie-up between political arch rivals the SP and the BSP, with some hailing it as a “big challenge” and another dubbing it as an “opportunistic alliance”.

Even BJP ally, SBSP, whose president Om Prakash Rajbhar is also a minister in the Yogi government maintained that the SP-BSP combine would be a big challenge to the ruling party. Hailing the SP-BSP alliance, the NISHAD (Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal) said it was very much part of this grand alliance. (With Agency Inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 16, 2019 10:54 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).