Rahul avoiding confrontation with Modi, says SP

SP spokesman Rajendra Chowdhary said tone and tenor of the Congress leader was such that the politics of the country remain between the BJP and Congress

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was avoiding a direct confrontation with the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, the Samajwadi Party said Tuesday.

Referring to a TV interview of Gandhi, Uttar Pradesh Prisons Minister and Samajwadi Party's state spokesman Rajendra Chowdhary said the tone and tenor of the Congress leader was such that the politics of the country remain between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.

"It is clear that the Congress is not keen on a confrontation with Modi and is ready for a possibility of him (Modi) assuming power at the centre after the general elections," Chowdhary said.

"But they (Congress) do not want to allow the Third Front a shot at governance," he said.

The two parties are trying to create a notion in India that either of them will come to power and that talks of a Third front are useless and meaningless, he said.

He said both Gandhi and Modi are backed by corporates. Farmers, poor and weaker sections of the society have been pushed to the sidelines of development and only industrialists are getting the benefits.

The SP spokesman accused the United Progressive Alliance of neglecting Uttar Pradesh and said several projects have not seen the light of the day due to the union government's indifference.

Responding to the allegations, the Congress said the Samajwadi Party has failed to live up to the mandate it was given in 2012 and was, therefore, levelling baseless allegations.

Ashok Singh, media in charge of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, said statements like those made by Chowdhary were reflective of the sombre mood in the party and that party leaders know they will lose badly in the Lok Sabha polls.