Congress behaviour has changed after Gujrat polls: Akhilesh Yadav

PHULPUR: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said he sensed a change in behaviour of Congress, which was more “accommodating” before its impressive performance in the Gujarat assembly elections.
Congress, which was an ally of Akhilesh in the 2017 UP assembly polls, is contesting the prestigious Gorakhpur and Phulpur parliamentary bypolls even though SP’s bitter rival BSP is supporting the samajwadis in the two constituencies where polling will be held on Sunday.

In an interview to TOI, Akhilesh referred to the SP-Congress alliance in UP saying: “I agree we failed to click as an alliance. After all, my 100 probables had to forego their individual political career. But I felt sad that before Gujarat elections, Congress was more accommodating but later became circumspect over any alliance with us. Still I have no ill will towards them.”

Akhilesh said BJP’s worst nightmares have come true following unequivocal support from BSP in the March 11 bypolls.

“We have never played caste politics. BJP began this in UP by making an OBC (Maurya) their party president first and projecting him as a CM, then suddenly bringing a Thakur (Yogi Adityanath) as CM and also ensuring space for a Brahmin as another deputy chief minister. Now we have changed the tide by bringing BSP and SP together,” he said.