From UP poll pot,Akhilesh pulls out Lohia: When it is weak,Cong can be an ally

Akhilesh said that the SP would like to form the government on its own,and it was difficult at this stage to talk about a post-poll alliance with the Congress.

Akhilesh Yadav has indicated that the Samajwadi Party SP may not be entirely closed to the idea of joining hands with the Congress in case it falls short of majority in the Uttar Pradesh assembly.

Speaking to The Indian Express Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta on NDTV 24215;7s Walk The Talk,Akhilesh said that the SP would like to form the government on its own,and it was difficult at this stage to talk about a post-poll alliance with the Congress. He said that as per available information,the Congress seemed likely to finish fourth in the race.

But when reminded that Lohiaites the SP thinks of Ram Manohar Lohia as its greatest inspiration have been the most powerful anti-Congress political force in the country,Akhilesh said: But Lohiaji also said that when the Congress becomes weak,it will be the closest ally, adding,The SP can never go with the BJP.

Akhilesh pointed out that the SP had supported the Congress on the nuclear deal during the 2008 trust vote,but the Congress had failed to stand by the SP on many occasions.

Asked if Rahul Gandhi was someone he could do business with,not just after the UP elections but also in the future,Akhilesh said,That decision is not mine. It has to be taken by the party. Asked if the SP saw the Congress as a hostile party forever,Akhilesh said it was difficult to predict how things might be in the future. We want the nation to progress. UP should also prosper.

The young SP MP described Rahul Gandhi as a achchhe insaan good man who is working hard,but criticised the Congress leader for publicising his stays at Dalit homes.

He is working and eating with Dalit families. To tell people,however,that he ate with Dalits is not a good thing. A Dalit used to serve me food but it was only after 4-5 years that I learnt that he was a Dalit. I never asked his caste, Akhilesh said.