Is something being cooked up between the ruling Samajwadi Party and the Congress in Uttar Pradesh? Are they contemplating forming a post-poll alliance? Latest political events indicate that Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi are developing a soft corner for each other.
Akhilesh on Thursday unequivocally hailed the Congress vice-president. Soon after the cabinet meeting, the chief minister said, “Rahul is a very good person and he is a good boy too. He should keep coming to UP and stay here more, and if someone will stay more in UP, then I too will have a friendship with him. If two good persons (Rahul and Akhilesh) meet, what is the harm there?”
The statement of Akhilesh has triggered speculations about the two parties joining hands in UP after the Assembly elections.
Political experts believe that no party will be able to get a clear majority in UP this time and that there is likely to be a big fall in SP’s present tally of legislators. Such a situation will force the SP to go for an alliance, and the ruling party is said to be preparing a ground for this.
It may be recalled that when Rahul visited Lucknow in July last, he also had hailed Akhilesh at a public meeting. Rahul had said, “Akhilsh is a good boy but he is not able to work; he was young when he became the CM, but he could not do what he wanted.”
Rahul's statement was interpreted in a way that the Congress leader believed some senior members were not letting Akhilesh work properly.
Though the SP refused to comment on a possible alliance between the two parties, the Congress ruled out such a possibility.
