Congress ups the ante, snubs SP for alliance 'rumours' in UP

Lucknow: In a clear snub to Samajwadi Party leadership in Uttar Pradesh amid reports of SP- Congress alliance ahead of assembly polls, the Congress on Saturday said that the success of party Vice President Rahul Gandhi's recent meeting in the state has prompted the opposition to spread such 'rumours'.

'' No senior leader of the party has ever spoken to anyone with regards to alliance in Uttar Pradesh,'' the UP Congress Committee President Raj Babbar said here in a communique to partymen. Urging his partymen to devote themselves wholly in the preparation for the UP assembly polls, he further suggested them not to be misled by this misinformation campaign by the opposition as the success of Rahul's meetings has increased its frustration.

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''gathbandhan ko lekar vipaksh dwara failayee ja rahi baaten sirf afwah hain( the repots being circulated by the opposition about alliance are just rumours)", he added.

Similarly, Ghulam Nabi Azad, the senior Congress leader and in-charge of UP affairs also dismissed the alliance talks describing it 'completely baseless'. He also confirmed that no talks had yet taken place so the question of any alliance does not arise at all.

Ironically, the statement of UPCC Chief came on the day when UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav reiterated that SP President Mulayam Singh Yadav would take the final call on this. '' If the alliance with Congress takes place , the SP will win 300 seats in UP assembly elections,'' was the oft-repeated claim of the UP CM.

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The contradictory statements of two senior leaders of SP and Congress came in the wake of speculation rife in media that there emerges a strong possibility of alliance among SP , Congress and Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal . The reports even went to the extent giving out seat adjustment formula.

According to political observers now, the ball lies in the court of Samajwadi Party being the bigger party though the Congress is definitely playing pricey as most of the statements in favour of alliance has so far come from UP CM Akhilesh Yadav.

See ahead: What Akhilesh Yadav stated regarding to alliance with Congress...

What Akhilesh Yadav had said on Friday:

• Samajwadi party government is need of the hour.
• We are going to make government again.
• We will win 300 hundred seats if alliance with Congress takes place.
• National President Mulayam Singh Yadav would take final decision.

Read ahead: What Raj Babbar said regarding the speculations...

What Raj Babbar said:

• Alliance talks are rumours being spread by opposition in Uttar Pradesh.
• The opposition is overawed by the success of Rahul Gandhi's recent meetings.
• No alliance talks have ever taken place so far.

In slide ahead: What Gulam Nabi Azad stated...

What Gulam Nabi Azad said:

• The alliance talks are completely baseless.
• If no leader has ever spoken in this regard how can such reports be true.
• The reports of seat adjustment are totally untrue.