With the Samajwadi Party getting increasingly aggressive in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress has now turned defensive.
The protests held by the Samajwadi Party inside and outside the state Assembly on the issue of amending the urban local bodies bill by the Mayawati government have reinforced the Samajwadi Party’s position as the main challenger to the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party.
The Congress, by soft peddling the issue inside and outside the state Assembly, has drawn considerable flak with several leaders within the party accusing the state leadership of becoming the “B” team of the BSP.
From being an aggressive challenger to the BSP, two years ago, the party has now been reduced to being defensive on every issue.
Party sources said that the Congress high command was so upset over the dharna incident that it had even sought an explanation from CLP leader Pramod Tiwari for walking out of the UP Assembly, two hours before the Samajwadis were evacuated. Mr Tiwari, however, insists that he sought the permission of AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh before doing so.
The Samajwadi Party, on the other hand, is elated over its direct confrontation with the Mayawati government.
“Since our top leaders sat on dharna for almost 12 hours, the party cadres have been mobilised into action. The mood in the party is upbeat and every party worker is prepared for a do-or-die battle with the state government. The common man also knows that it is the Samajwadi Party alone that can challenge the Bahujan Samaj Party in the next elections. The Congress might as well merge into the BSP because its leaders are working like BSP agents anyway,” said a senior SP MLA.
While the Samajwadi Party is working overtime to consolidate its base among Muslims, it is also trying to capture the floating votes by cashing on the anti-incumbency sentiments against the Mayawati government.
“We will also be making efforts to forge alliances that will benefit the party in the next elections,” said a senior leader, indicating that the party was “open” to an alliance with RLD and Peace Party.
Unlike previous years, this time, SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav is leaving nothing to chance and is personally supervising the organisational matters in the run-up to the assembly elections.