Rahul, Akhilesh joint show on Sunday to harp on 'son of soil' image

The duo is likely to unveil a common minimum programme, which will form basic guideline of alliance

This Sunday, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will pitch themselves as sons of the soil as against outsider Prime Minister Narendra Modi in order to present the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance as a better alternative than the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh.

According to sources, the joint show in Lucknow on January 29 could also see Rahul and Akhilesh unveil a common minimum programme, which will form the basic guideline if the SP-Congress alliance comes to power in the state.

The two leaders are also expected to articulate a theme slogan around which the joint campaign will revolve during the seven phased polls from February 11 to March 8. The results will be out on March 11.

The sources said the sons of the soil narrative will try to capitalise on the roots that both Rahul and Akhilesh have in Uttar Pradesh while presenting PM Modi, in whose name the BJP is seeking votes, as a political import of sorts.

Modi, who belongs to Gujarat, won the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Varanasi as the BJP bet big on UP to secure a majority.

The SP-Congress alliance will highlight the failures of the Modi government since May 2014 to counter the Prime Minister's aggressive campaign planned across the state.

Fighting corruption and communal forces, pushing all round development and job creation will be some of the key points in the SP-Congress common minimum programme, said sources involved in the process.

This would be the first time that Rahul will share stage with Akhilesh and his wife Dimple, who represents Kannauj in Lok Sabha. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who played a key role in clinching the SP-Congress pact, is unlikely to attend the event, said the sources.

Though Akhilesh has started addressing rallies, the Chief Minister and Rahul are scheduled to hold joint shows across phases to give a boost to the alliance. The SP has already announced a lot of freebies in its poll manifesto last week. The Congress would prefer to stick to the CMP over a separate manifesto, said the sources.

Priyanka, meanwhile, has been busy resolving the vexed issue of sharing seats in Amethi and Rae Bareli, the bastions of the Gandhi family where the SP has named its candidates on six seats leaving only four for the Congress. The Congress managers want all 10 seats, and that is the bone of contention.

Sources said if the seat sharing in the VVIP areas is not resolved before Sunday, it could be given some more drift as these 10 seats will go to polls in the fourth and fifth phase on February 23 and 27 respectively.

Together, the SP is fighting 298 of the 403 seats and the Congress got 105.