No truck with SP, BSP in Uttar Pradesh: Congress

Congress also hit out at the SP and BSP for being hand in glove with the BJP

Ruling out the possibility of a truck with Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the 2017 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress today accused both Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati of being in cahoots with the Narendra Modi-led BJP.

"The spectacular success of the Grand Alliance in neighboring Bihar has given rise to speculations about the Congress entering into similar alliances with the SP and the BSP. However, the situation is entirely different in the two states," UPCC president Nirmal Khatri told reporters here.

"In Bihar, arch-rivals Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar had buried their differences to put up a joint fight against Modi. Here, both Mulayam and Mayawati are bitterly fighting each other while sitting in Modi's lap," he said.

The Congress alleged that the recent developments in Ayodhya, where truckloads of stones arrived recently for the construction of Ram temple, were a part of BJP's strategy to trigger communal polarisation in UP ahead of the elections and charged the SP government in the state with having failed to exercise due diligence in the matter.

Khatri also hit out at the SP and BSP for being hand in glove with the BJP.

"Both the leaders (Mulayam Singh, Mayawati) had unsuccessfully tried to help Modi by splitting secular votes in Bihar. Besides, Mayawati has formed governments in UP on more than one occasion with the support of the BJP. Similarly, the nice things that Mulayam and Modi keep saying about each other is enough indication of the SP supremo's ambiguous stance against communal forces represented by the BJP," he said.

Brushing aside reports that without a tie-up with any of the major players in UP, the Congress may end up putting up yet another dismal show in the state, the UPCC president said, "The people are disappointed with the Modi government at the Centre and determined to bury the ruling SP in the state.

"They have also not forgotten the misrule of the previous BSP regime while there is no strong resentment against our party," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, the party's national spokesperson and former state president Rita Bahuguna Joshi said, "The arrival of truckloads of stones in Ayodhya on Sunday is a part of the BJP's strategy to communally polarise UP. The party may pretend that it has nothing to do with the developments but people are sensible enough to see through the game."

"This is a development which ought to have been taken serious note of by the state government. Unfortunately, the ruling party seems to be unmindful of the implications. We hope they would exercise due diligence before it is too late," she said.

Khatri and Joshi were in the city, accompanied by a number of party leaders, for a 'padayatra' (march) as part of a state-wide drive by the Congress.

"The padayatra had commenced at Meerut on December 9, the birthday of party president Sonia Gandhi. At Allahabad, we are launching the seventh phase of the state-wide exercise," Khatri added.