Cong for tie-up with SP

At a meeting of its state coordination committee, chaired by AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi here today...

At a meeting of its state coordination committee, chaired by AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi here today, the Congress unanimously supported a pre-poll alliance with the Samajwadi Party and 8220;other secular parties8221; for the Lok Sabha elections.

Briefing mediapersons after the meeting, UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi said 8220;other secular parties8221; included the RLD, which has strong support in western UP. The unity of secular forces is necessary in the country8217;s largest state, she said.

Ajit Singh had voted against the Manmohan Singh Government in the trust vote, even after the Centre decided to name the Lucknow airport after his father Charan Singh. The RLD was expected to enter into an electoral alliance with the BSP, but Mayawati later announced that her party would contest all the 80 seats in the state. Since then, the RLD leader is reported to have been in touch with the BJP.

AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Digvijay Singh said the modalities of the proposed tie-up with the SP would be decided at a meeting in New Delhi on August 30 or 31. He asserted that seat-sharing will be 8220;on a pragmatic basis, keeping in mind the winnability of the candidates8221;.

When asked about the party8217;s decision to go along with the SP, a bitter rival until recently, he said, 8220;this reminds us of the old quote from Winston Churchill that there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics8221;. On the SP8217;s bid to extend the pre-poll alliance beyond UP, he said, 8220;today8217;s meeting focused solely on Uttar Pradesh8221;.

The meeting was attended by 33 of the 38 members, including CLP leader Pramod Tiwari, Salman Khurshid, Mohsina Kidwai, Rashid Alvi and Jagdambika Pal.

Criticising Mayawati, the party said she could spend crores on organising a meeting in Lucknow, but had not come out with any package for the 23 districts affected by the floods so far. 8220;Mayawati is probably the first Chief Minister who has not visited the flood-affected areas of her state,8221; said Joshi.

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The party also announced its plans to launch an agitation exposing the 8220;large-scale irregularities in electoral lists8221; and the atrocities on farmers who were forced to sell their land by the Government. Party president Sonia Gandhi is scheduled to address a farmers8217; meeting at Dadri on September 13.

with PTI