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Akhilesh Yadav should be wary of Rahul's praise for arch-rival Mayawati

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Sharat Pradhan
Sharat PradhanJan 29, 2017 | 21:21

Akhilesh Yadav should be wary of Rahul's praise for arch-rival Mayawati

Even as Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav went all out to showcase their bonhomie on the streets of Lucknow with their first joint road show, the former seemed hardly charitable towards his Samajwadi Party mate, failing to acknowledge his "achievements".

On the contrary, he went out of his way to shower praise on the UP CM's bête noire Mayawati, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo, at a press conference that preceded the road show.

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"What I must appreciate about Akhilesh is that his intentions are good, even if there are several things that have yet to be accomplished," Rahul pointed out, commenting on the ruling SP government's achievements.

He even went to the extent of comparing Akhilesh's work with that of UPA-2 regime under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's leadership.

"Well, there were certain things left to be done at the end of UPA-2 as well, but no one could doubt the intention of Dr Manmohan Singh, which is precisely the case with Akhilesh," he added.

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What clearly came as a bigger surprise for Akhilesh was Rahul's generous praise for Mayawati. Indiatoday.in

That was not what Akhilesh had expected from Rahul at their first-ever joint appearance before the media. Yet, he kept himself composed and instantly, albeit politely, countered the Congress chief: "Most of the people present here will acknowledge what all my government had been able to deliver."

Sensing his gaffe, Rahul went on to add, "No government can fulfil all the promises it makes despite their best intentions."

Akhilesh drew Rahul's attention to his latest poll slogan, "Kaam bolta hai", which seeks to remind the electorate of the accomplishment of various projects he launched in the state.

What clearly came as a bigger surprise for Akhilesh was Rahul's generous praise for Mayawati. Asked if he considered the BSP a serious player in the ongoing political battle for Uttar Pradesh, the Congress vice-president said, "I have a lot of respect for Mayawati and more than that for the late Kanshi Ram; unlike the RSS and BJP, Mayawati is not a threat to the nation; therefore there can be no comparison between her and the BJP," he said.

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Speculation is rife that Rahul's intention behind making such an unexpected favourable remark about the BSP chief could be aimed at tapping the Dalit vote or at keeping the party's options open for a future alliance with the BSP.

After all, there was a time when a number of Dalits rallied behind the Congress in UP. It could well be Rahul's strategy to not alienate Mayawati who remains an iconic figure for a large section of the community today.

However, if the remark was intended at making room for a tie-up with the BSP, it is not a healthy sign for a long-term relationship between SP and the Congress.

That remark aside, both Rahul and Akhilesh left no stone unturned to state that the whole exercise behind the alliance was to insure enbloc support of the Muslim vote.

By projecting itself as the only potent political force to take on the might of the BJP, the SP-Congress alliance is clearly hoping to get the crucial 20 per cent vote of the minority community, which the BSP too has been making every effort to woo.

Rahul was careful to emphasise that the alliance was all for "peace and harmony" and that it had the strength to combat the divisive politics of the BJP and its ideologue RSS.

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He compared the combined strength of SP and the Congress to the Sangam (confluence) of the Ganga and the Yamuna . That too was not without meaning as the inclusive secular culture of Uttar Pradesh was traditionally referred to as the "Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb".

While the Congress is banking on only 105 of UP's 403 Assembly seats as its share in the forthcoming battle of the ballot, Rahul went on to project himself as the big brother.

Hogging the most limelight at the press meet, the Congress VP referred to Akhilesh by his first name and made no bones about describing him as a "good boy". Akhilesh, however, did not desist from addressing the Congress vice president only as "Rahul ji".

The saving grace in this display of bonhomie was Rahul's repeated assertion that "this alliance is here to stay and to form the next government in UP".

He said, "Certain issues may prevail, but we are confident of sorting them out because we are ready to make compromises, which is what all alliances are built upon."

Neither alliance partner commented on how long the "Sangam" would last. Rahul was unable to confirm if it would continue into Lok Sabha elections 2019, while Akhilesh too was not sure whether he would join hands with the Congress - to then project Rahul as the prime-ministerial nominee.

Last updated: January 30, 2017 | 14:05
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