SP chief Akhilesh Yadav also says he will meet Telangana CM KCR, strengthens rumour that the Congress may not be part of SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh.
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav Wednesday barely concealed his annoyance of the Congress, further stoking the rumour mill that the national party may face a struggle in being part of the proposed SP-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) alliance in the state.
Speaking at his party’s headquarters in Lucknow, Akhilesh said his first priority was to see that the BJP loses power in the country.
“I congratulate the BJP because when we were talking about our work, they defined us in terms of caste and religion,” he said while responding to a query about the possible SP-BSP front. “I would also like to thank the Congress. In Madhya Pradesh, they did not make our MLA a minister.”
This, he added, has helped “clear the path” for the party’s decisions. The SP has one MLA in Madhya Pradesh.
Akhilesh also made it plain that he wasn’t averse to being part of the non-Congress opposition federal front that Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao or KCR has been looking to cobble together.
“Efforts to bring all parties together have been ongoing for many months. I congratulate the Telangana chief minister for working in this direction,” Akhilesh said. “He has been trying to bring together a federal front. I’ll go to Hyderabad to meet him.”
Also read: Samajwadi Party extends support to Congress in Madhya Pradesh
A growing rift
The SP chief’s remarks come at a time when there is growing indications that an SP-BSP alliance is being worked out ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Sources in the SP revealed that there had been a growing rift with the Congress, which has been accentuated after the recently-concluded assembly elections. The two parties had skipped the 10 December meeting held by opposition outfits.
“Meetings between the two parties (SP and BSP) have been taking place for a while. While there has been an overarching agreement on most matters relating to the distribution of seats, the other issues are likely to be ironed out in the next month,” a senior SP leader said.
“For now, the plan is that the (SP-BSP) alliance will not be fielding candidates in Rae Bareli and Amethi (pocket boroughs of the Gandhis).”
Akhilesh said the alliance was keeping its options open.
“The nature of the alliance, who will come together, who wants to come together — these options are open,” he said while responding to a query on the BJP allies in UP – the Apna Dal and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) — attacking the party.
“In order to set up a mahagathbandhan against the BJP, efforts to bring all parties together are being created,” he said.
Also read: Had Congress allied with BSP, it would’ve won 40 more seats across heartland states