SP repeatedly showing Congress its place: BJP

Lucknow, Oct1 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday took a dig at the alliance between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress, claiming that the SP is repeatedly sending political signals to its ally and that differences between the two parties are becoming increasingly visible.

BJP state spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi alleged that the political "arrogance" of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been taking a toll on the alliance. Tripathi said Akhilesh Yadav's decision to begin his journey from Rae Bareli was a "deliberate political message to the Congress," alleging that the choice of the starting point was quite significant given the constituency's association with the Congress.

Referring to the Rajya Sabha elections, Tripathi also pointed to Akhilesh Yadav's public interaction with the son of a leader whose party, according to the BJP, had contributed to the defeat of a Congress candidate in Jharkhand. He cited the episode as another indication of growing differences between the SP and Congress.

Tripathi further alleged that the SP's decision to organise the "Loktantrik Senani" Samman ceremony at its party office was a reminder of the Emergency imposed during the Congress-led regime. He said that while the SP continued to speak about an alliance with the Congress, several of its programmes and political activities were critical of the Congress's past record.

The BJP spokesperson also highlighted Akhilesh Yadav's absence from a meeting of the INDIA bloc, claiming that it a lack of coordination among opposition parties is evident. Tripathi alleged that a trust deficit is growing between the SP and Congress and claimed that differences between the leadership of the two parties are creating hurdles for the alliance.

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