Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said Thursday that the Congress and the BJP were the “same” — thereby putting a lid on all speculation about participating in Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Akhilesh’s statement also signalled that the SP was not keen on any alliance with the Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
On Thursday, the SP leader was asked if he had got any invitation to join the Congress’ outreach march that will enter Uttar Pradesh on 3 January.
“If you have any invitation on your mobile, please give it to me immediately,” Akhilesh told the reporter.
The media persisted on whether the SP chief would still join, citing Congress’ UP president Brijlal Khabri’s remarks that all Opposition parties had been invited, except the BJP.
To this, Akhilesh retorted: “Our wishes are with the Yatra, but we have not got any invitation. Our party’s principles are different. BJP and the Congress — both are the same.”
Akhilesh’s attack on the Congress is not new. In March 2021 too, he had said: “…the ways being followed by the party are the same as the BJP”.
ThePrint reported Wednesday that Akhilesh Yadav was not inclined towards an alliance with the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls due to the party’s past experience in the 2017 state elections.
In an interview to NDTV in June 2021, Akhilesh had ruled out any alliance saying the Congress did not have a strong organisation in UP and that their 2017 experience with the party had not been too good.
“I gave over 100 seats to Congress, an alliance was there but what we wanted could not happen… We could not be successful in defeating the BJP… Congress doesn’t have the strength here (at present) which can defeat the BJP,” he had said.
After Akhilesh’s attack, the Congress went on the backfoot and confirmed that he would not participate in the Yatra despite an invitation. Neither would his ally and Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary.
Congress zonal president Nakul Dubey told ThePrint: “He (Akhilesh) has expressed his inability to participate in the Yatra. Jayant Chaudhary has said he is ill.”
Asked about Akhilesh’s remark that he had not received an invitation, Dubey said: “Whether the invitation has reached or not becomes a disputed fact then. Invitations are going to all. Bharat Jodo Yatra has nothing to do with principles. Those who want to save India from slavery, should join us and those who don’t, can refrain. There is nothing about principles here, it is only about linking Bharat.”
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