The alliance with the Congress was the product of “a particular time and circumstances”, and may not have happened had the family feud within the Samajwadi Party not broken out, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has told The Hindu in an interview.
“If these things [family matters] had not cropped up and some political decisions didn’t have to be taken, then this alliance may not have happened. The time and circumstances were such that we had to have this alliance…” Mr. Yadav said on Monday.
He said he enjoyed a “good chemistry” with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and was happy that the SP and the Congress were fighting the elections together.
“Sometimes you just build a friendship. Some say that after a certain age, friendships happen according to needs. We are the same age, we think alike. He too wants the country and the State to develop.”
The alliance between the two parties is seen as an unconventional one — the SP has a tradition of opposing the Congress.
Mr. Yadav, who is today the party’s boss, is however dismissive of the past acrimony. The times demanded “political formations that can protect the secular fabric of the country and take on communal parties like the BJP.” There was a time when the Congress was the only ruling party and so it was natural to oppose it. “All Samajwadi leaders,” he said, “are products of the Congress party.”
Mr. Yadav took questions on a range of topics — from demonetisation and the future of the alliance with the Congress to his infrastructural projects and sync with the bureaucracy.
Crematorium issue
Mr. Yadav was recently attacked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for alleged communal discrimination in power supply for and maintenance of cremation sites in the State. He dismissed these claims, saying the PM did not have the “correct data.”
“We provided 2,000 MW more power during Diwali than we did for Ramzan. For Diwali, it being the festival of lights, I decided that I will ensure every district headquarters 24-hour electricity supply. Since that day, there has been 24-hour power supply across the State,” he said.
Mr. Yadav, while refusing to be drawn into making a direct comparison of his model of development with the Gujarat model initiated by Mr. Modi, said his government had delivered on its promises.
If voted back to power, he would construct a Metro rail in Varanasi, Mr. Yadav promised.
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