The Congress has clearly indicated that there will be no poll alliance with the Samajwadi Party for the coming Assembly polls.
The Samajwadi Party has already ruled out any such possibility.
Talking to reporters here on Saturday, senior Congress MP and Union minister for coal Sriprakash Jaiswal said that the Congress had extended support to the candidate Rajmati Devi in the Pipraich byelection and not necessarily to the SP on whose symbol she is contesting the bypoll.
“Rajmati Devi is the widow of Jamuna Prasad Nishad who represented the OBC in his constituency and we have supported her because of this. The main factor is the humanitarian ground. The Congress will contest the assembly polls on its own,” he said.
Meanwhile, talking about his ministry, Mr Jaiswal said that coal production would increase by 10 per cent in the current financial year.
He said that the Mayawati government did not seem interested in setting up thermal power plants in the public sector. “The government is interested in private players only,” he added.
The minister said that the government of India had allowed open license for import of coal. “We have to increase coal production without causing any disturbance or damage to the environment,” the minister said.
The minister further said, in reply to a question, that the country had enough coal stock to last another 70-80 years.