Lucknow, Oct. 18 -- The Samajwadi Party (SP) is internally debating the implications of statements drawing parallels between protests in India and the political upheavals in Bangladesh and Nepal.
Party sources said the SP was unlikely to support any agitation that went beyond democratic norms, even as it backed the ongoing Gen-Z protests in Delhi.
Sources said the party leadership was closely monitoring the nature and ideological direction of the Gen-Z protests and the activities of the so-called Cockroach Party to ensure that its association with such movements did not hurt its electoral prospects.
The SP has extended full support to the Gen-Z protests in Delhi, with Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav and several senior party leaders publicly backing the movement.
Party president Akhilesh Yadav also expressed concern on Friday over the arrest of AISA president Neha Bora.
However, references to the political developments in Bangladesh during the protests have drawn the BJP's attention.
BJP leaders have accused those associated with the agitation of attempting to push the country towards anarchy, making the issue politically contentious.
The SP, the principal Opposition party in Uttar Pradesh and the third-largest party in the Lok Sabha in terms of strength, is seeking to consolidate its political position both in the state and nationally.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.