Searching for synergy

It is a dream team that many in the Congress are hoping for—the “natural alliance” between Rahul Gandhi and the Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav. After taking over as the general secretary in charge of the Youth Congress and NSUI, Rahul’s primary proposal was to take to the streets to protest against Chief Minister Mayawati’s ban on student-body elections in Uttar Pradesh. He also held preliminary discussions with UP leaders to draw up the agitation blueprint. While Rahul’s plan didn’t quite take off, the Samajwadi Party heir led from the front, taking to the streets to fight the ban. A couple of young Congress MPs have in the past sounded out Yadav on the “immense possibilities” of such an alliance but for “one particular individual”. At least with both sides now willing to let bygones be bygones, the partnership is now more plausible than a Leander Paes-Mahesh Bhupathi rapprochement.