<b>Letters</b>: Patch-up best way out

Cong hopes to sail through the turbulent political waters in UP by riding on the shoulders of the CM

With reference to Amit Agnihotri’s report, “Congress hints at SP alliance as Akhilesh-Mulayam feud continues” (January 5), going by the statement of Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Congress in-charge of affairs in Lucknow, the party seems keen to forge a pre-poll alliance with the Akhilesh Yadav faction of the fractured Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. Perhaps, the Congress hopes to sail through the turbulent political waters in the state by riding on the shoulders of the chief minister. 
 

But Azad parroted the same old story when he said that “there was also a need for secular forces to come together to defeat the ‘communal’ Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)”. Is the Congress some holy cow? Why does he not talk about the Congress’ real intention behind seeking an alliance with Yadav despite being aware of the mess in the SP family? Azad had earlier ruled out a tie-up with the SP.

This apart, what did the Congress’ UP chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit mean when she said, “I am prepared to withdraw my candidature if an alliance happens with the SP”? Has the Congress realised it is already out of the reckoning? 

If the Akhilesh Yadav camp still joins hands with the Congress, it may suffer because the latter is a sinking ship under the immature leadership of party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi. 

In fact, Akhilesh Yadav should look at the writing on the wall and quickly patch up with his father and party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav. That would not only quash the confusion among the party’s vote bank but also enable the party to put up a strong fight in the polls.

---

S Kumar  New Delhi