Victory in UP with Congress' help will only elevate Netaji's stature: Akhilesh

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday defended his decision of forging an alliance with Congress, claiming that the coalition will win an overwhelming majority in the polls and get more than 300 seats in the 403-member House.

"This election is not only about state but also about the nation. People say that we should not have given so many seats to Congress but we have a big heart," he said addressing a rally here.

Commenting on the father-son relationship between him and Samajwadi Party's patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh said that the party still belongs to 'Netaji' and the relationship between them can never change.

"It was necessary to distance ourselves from people who ultimately wanted to harm the Samajwadi Party. Netaji ji has brought us into politics and trained us. Nobody can break our relation with Netaji. Sometimes you have to take tough decisions. We have also made the move towards those who conspired against us," he said.

Trying to downplay Mulayam Singh Yadav's criticism of the alliance, Akhilesh stated that if SP retains power in Uttar Pradesh, it will be a complement to Netaji's prestige.

"This is not an act of rebellion... Netaji (Mulayam) is above all of us in the party. The responsibility to take Samajwadi Party forward is now with the next generation. Our only aim is to retain power in the state. His (Netaji) blessings are with us. Netaji will be the happiest person if SP wins. I am sure the SP's thumping victory will only increase Netaji's respect."

The poll process in Uttar Pradesh begins on February 11. 73 constituencies in western Uttar Pradesh will go polls in this phase. The filing of nominations for these constituencies will end on January 24.

Uttar Pradesh is set to enter into the 'high-voltage' seven-phase polling between February 11 and March 8.