Playing down the apprehensions that Kalyan Singh — once the major face of Hinduvta forces in the country — will affect Samajwadi Party’s clout over Muslim voters, Yadav said: “ Muslims are not annoyed with our association with the former BJP leader and they will continue to support us.”

Yadav added that “misleading” statements by a few individuals and other political parties will fail to create a rift between SP and the minorities.

Taking a swipe at the BJP, Yadav said that Mandir-Masjid issue of Ayodhya

no longer holds any importance for the people of UP.

“Political parties trying to exploit the Ayodhya issue as a political tool will suffer in the coming Lok Sabha elections,” said Yadav, who was in the city on Friday to meet ailing party member Choudhary Har Mohan Singh at Laxmipati Singhania Institute of Cardiology.

People are instead interested in issues like employment, poverty eradication and agriculture and will vote for only that political party which has plans for bringing development, he said.

He also termed his party’s alliance with the Congress and joining hands with Kalyan Singh as “two separate issues”. “Our association with Singh will have no impact on the alliance with Congress,” he added. The SP chief said that Kalyan Singh’s son Rajvir will contest the next Lok Sabha elections as the Samajwadi Party’s candidate from the desired seat.