Former Congress leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui joins Samajwadi Party, says respects Akhilesh Yadav "immensely"

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 15 (ANI): Former Congress leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui on Sunday joined the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) in Lucknow, expressing deep respect for the party chief and vowing to strengthen the organisation.
Siddiqui, who was earlier associated with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and had later resigned from the Congress, joined the Samajwadi Party in the presence of Akhilesh Yadav today.
Speaking to ANI before joining the party, Siddiqui said he had "old relations" with SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav and that he would work under his guidance and "shoulder to shoulder" with other senior leaders to strengthen the organisation.
"I have old relations with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. I respect him immensely. We will follow his directions. Before me, there are many other senior leaders in the party. We have to strengthen the party by working shoulder to shoulder with them. If the party is strong, then we are strong; if we are strong, then the state is strong; and if the state is strong, then the society is strong," he said.
Along with Siddiqui, former BSP leader Anees Ahmad Khan and former Apna Dal state president S Raj Kumar Pal also joined the Samajwadi Party today.
Last month, former Uttar Pradesh Congress MLA Siddiqui resigned from all party positions, citing an inability to work at the grassroots level for the past eight years.
Speaking to ANI, Siddiqui said he respects Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, and other senior party leaders, adding that he wants to work at the grassroots level, which is why he quit the party.
"I have no resentment towards anyone. I respect Kharge ji, Rahul ji, Priyanka ji, Sonia ji, and I will continue to respect them. There was no work for me there. I am a grassroots-level person. For eight years, I couldn't work at the ground level. I have never been a high-profile leader, nor am I now, so I want to work at the ground level; that's why I left the Congress party," he said.
"Making someone the chairman of the media department is not grassroots-level work. Making someone a member of a committee is not grassroots-level work...I told the leaders that I am a man of the organisation. Now, there are many things which cannot be said," Siddiqui added. (ANI)