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This comes a few days after Akhilesh Yadav’s road show in support of the AAP for the Delhi polls, as the SP had chosen Arvind Kejriwal’s party over the Congress as it felt it had more chances of victory
Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi (L) and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav (R) share a laugh, as Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge listens in, during a protest in New Delhi on February 6. (Image: News18)
“UP ke ladke” Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi were seen sharing a laugh, pointing towards a return to normalcy in their relationship as allies of the INDIA bloc.
The easy camaraderie between Yadav and Gandhi grabbed eyeballs because only a few days ago the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief, in an open snub to the Congress, held a road show in support of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the Delhi assembly elections.
The SP had chosen the AAP over the Congress as it felt Arvind Kejriwal’s party had more chances of winning the election. It was also upset with the Grand Old Party’s lately aggressive stance. But only a day after polling, it looks like the two parties have forgotten their grudges.
Gandhi was spotted pulling Yadav aside, joking and patting him on the back. Just before that, feelers were sent to the SP chief to join a protest by the Congress over the “handcuffed deportation” of the illegal Indians from the US. In fact, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi gave suggestions to Yadav on what he should say.
What was, however, more conspicuous was that the SP was the only high-profile ally in the opposition front to join the protest, while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) stayed away. Even when the SP, like the Mamata Banerjee-led party, had campaigned for the AAP, Yadav had steered clear of attacking the Congress. In return, before that, the Congress did not announce a candidate for the Milkipur bypoll in Uttar Pradesh.
There is some messaging in this picture of Yadav and Gandhi. For one, the picture of togetherness could be jarring for the naysayers, who think there is trouble in the INDIA bloc. Second, Gandhi is the MP from Rae Bareli, and it was Yadav who convinced him to contest from UP. On the ground, SP workers were seen alongside Congress workers, as both the parties need each other in the state.
But, the real challenge would be if the AAP loses the Delhi polls and the Congress is blamed for it. Will the SP then join the other allies in demanding a non-Congress face for the bloc?