'Congress cleared our path': Akhilesh Yadav's 'thumbs-down' message for Rahul Gandhi

In an apparent snub to the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said the grand old party has "cleared their path" by not including sole SP legislator in Madhya Pradesh in the cabinet despite its support in formation of the government and attaining the majority mark.

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav (L) with Congress President Rahul Gandhi. AFP IMAGE/ FILE

LUCKNOW: In an apparent snub to the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said the grand old party has "cleared their path" by not including sole SP legislator in Madhya Pradesh in the cabinet despite its support in formation of the government and attaining the majority mark. This statement from the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister is being seen as another indication of the growing space and disenchantment of the SP from the Congress. It also hints at the likelihood of the Congress being kept out of the proposed "grand alliance" in Uttar Pradesh for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. While speaking about the grand alliance, the 45-year-old leader said: "A 'Mahagathbandhan' or a federal front of regional parties should come up to oust the BJP from power, which is our first priority." He also welcomed the move of K. Chandrashekhar Rao, the Telangana Chief Minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) for trying to stitch together a non-Congress, non-BJP front and said that they were scheduled to meet recently but this meeting could not happen as he was not available. He said he will soon go and meet Rao in Telangana and discuss the political scenario. On the other hand, Mayawati, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo and a prospective partner in the 'Mahagathbandhan' has already given enough hints of acting tough on the Congress. Miffed with the Congress, the BSP chief had, soon after extending support to the Congress in MP, said that people had with heavy heart voted for the Congress and that she was extending support only to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at bay. Akhilesh and Mayawati had also skipped the oath-taking ceremonies of Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot, Kamal Nath and Bhupesh Baghel as new Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh earlier this month. While the occasion was by opposition bonhomie with prominent opposition leaders sharing stage with Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh and Mayawati were conspicuous by their absence. Akhilesh Yadav, meanwhile, also slammed the Yogi Adityanath government in the state and accused it of poor handling of the law and order in the state. Citing the mob violence in Bulandshahr, burning of a girl in Agra and crime in Gorakhpur, the former Chief Minister also targeted Governor Ram Naik indirectly by saying that in his government, the Raj Bhawan used to raise questions on the law and order scenario, while now he is hosting the government at the Raj Bhawan. (With inputs from IANS)