Lucknow: Not mincing words, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday expressed his resentment over the merger with gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s party Quami Ekta Dal saying he will not be welcome in Samajwadi Party.
Read: UP CM Akhilesh Yadav changes tack on SP merger with Quami Ekta Dal
"Mukhtar Ansari will not be welcome in the party. We don't want such people in the party," Yadav said during a television show in Lucknow, adding he didn't take the decision regarding the merger.
Yadav's displeasure over the merger had been evident soon after the development on June 21 when he said, "If party workers perform their responsibilities, then there will be no need of another party."
Read: Akhilesh opposes, father Mulayam backs SP merger with Quami Ekta Dal?
Hours later, he sacked the Secondary Education Minister Balram Yadav apparently for facilitating the merger.
The Chief Minister, however, later described the merger as an "internal matter" of the party and said he had no displeasure over it.
