<b>Letters</b>: Akhilesh's rise

Irrespective of whether the Akhilesh Yadav (pictured) camp or the one led by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav gets to ride the “cycle” — the Samajwadi Party (SP) symbol — or none of them, the young and energetic chief minister has endeared himself to a chunk of the youth in Uttar Pradesh by moving away from his father’s shadow.

Akhilesh Yadav has changed the narrative of governance from caste-based politics to one that aims at development to create employment opportunities. This shift, coupled with his clean image, has galvanised his camp. That his political ascendency should be sabotaged by his father is an irony. Given the strident attitudes of both the camps, chances of a lasting truce are remote. While the Bahujan Samaj Party is yet to strategise its poll plans, the Bharatiya Janata Party couldn’t have asked for anything better than this feud in the SP.

Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi has a lot to learn from Akhilesh Yadav on how to emerge as a leader in one’s own right. It would make political and electoral sense for the Congress to back Akhilesh Yadav and seal an electoral alliance with his outfit for the Assembly elections ahead. Fighting the elections with Sheila Dikshit as the Congress’ chief ministerial candidate would be political hara-kiri.

S K Choudhury Bengaluru