Rahul rules out post-poll alliance

UTTAR PRADESH ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS

In two statements that could have long term repercussions, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi ruled out another 'sell-out' alliance like the one with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh in 1996 and observed that if had the Gandhi family been in power, the Babri Masjid would not have been demolished. He is currently on a campaigning trip in UP.

Both statements, reported by television channels, are bound to embitter relations both inside the Congress and with other parties it could have considered friends. With such a categorical rejection of an alliance in such strong terms, not only has the Congress ruled itself out of any coalition arrangement after the Assembly elections in UP, but has also muddied the waters for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. The statement makes the BSP free to tie up with the BJP in a post-poll coalition in the state after the results are declared on 11 May. In the short run, in an election where the Congress is going to have minimum political leverage any way, Gandhi's statement is going to needlessly antagonise the BSP.

The statement that the Congress party, unless headed by someone from the Gandhi family, cannot protect the interests of the minorities, is likely to be exploited by the Samajwadi Party to the hilt during the campaign to prove the point that as a party, the Congress cannot protect the interests of the Muslims, a confession made by one no less than the son of the Congress president.

In his biography, former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao had given a long justification explaining the Congress government's role in preventing attacks on the Babri Masjid. Interestingly, Gandhi's statement even lets the then chief minister Kalyan Singh off the hook for the events in Ayodhya as it squarely blames the central government for the demolition.

All the indications are that the Congress is going to rush to either clarify or deny the statements attributed to Gandhi. However, it may be difficult to eliminate the aftertaste they will leave behind.