Cong-SP alliance draws flak from political rivals

The Congress and Samajwadi Party alliance for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls next month was today termed as "opportunistic and unholy" by their political opponents with BSP chief Mayawati calling it a conspiracy to indirectly benefit BJP.

Mayawati said, "it was a result of selfish politics of both these parties and a conspiracy to indirectly benefit anti-poor and pro-capitalist BJP".

"The alliance is on the lines dil mile na mile haath milate rahiye (keep joining hands even if your hearts don't meet) and though it is being said that they have come together to stop the BJP, but the reality is that this is an unholy alliance struck at the instigation of BJP to stop BSP from getting full majority and forming a sarvjan hitai sarvjan sukahye government in the state," she said.

Questioning the alliance, BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak alleged that the real motive behind such "unholy" alliance was to serve their vested interests.

"This alliance was just to cover up the corruption of the previous UPA government, and the present SP government in UP," Pathak said.

Walking shoulder to shoulder and almost identically dressed, Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi today addressed their first joint press conference and held a roadshow in Lucknow, giving a call for crushing BJP's politics of "anger and divisiveness".

The BSP chief said, "instead of the works, it is the crime and communal riots which are more evident in the state and yet the Congress is ready to face reverses... what else can this be called other than politics of opportunism".

BSP also made an appeal to the people to remain cautious of such a selfish and opportunistic alliance.

Pathak asked the Congress about their slogan "27 Saal, UP Behal" and whether during the last 15 years, the state was not looted through corruption by successive governments.

Just a month back Congress was levelling corruption charges on Akhilesh Yadav government and suddenly they had a change of heart and were all praise for SP, he said adding this double face of Congress would be under scrutiny.