Ruling out a 'Modi wave' in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Akhilesh Yadav today said the Samajwadi Party was not worried about the BJP's prime ministerial candidate as ground realities were different than those projected on television.
He also said the UP government led by him was working for the benefit of all communities and termed as "misinformation" suggestions that SP was biased towards Muslims.
Akhilesh said there was no disconnect between him and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav in running the government and that the SP chief was free to flag issues where he thought the government was not performing up to expectations.
"I see no wave in Uttar Pradesh. You talk of crowds in BJP rallies. More people attended rallies organised by SP... The battle (elections) will be fought on the ground not on TV," he said.
He was asked whether SP was worried about Modi and his aide Amit Shah making inroads in the state and about the crowds the Gujarat chief minister was attracting in his rallies.
He was speaking at 'Agenda Aaj Tak' - a two-day conclave of India Today Group that began here yesterday.
"SP will fight the elections alone in UP. SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has made it clear already," Akhilesh said, when asked about a possible tie-up with the Congress. He also said that even outside his state, his party would fight the general elections on its own.
Asked whether he would 'shake hands' with Rahul Gandhi after the elections, he skirted the question saying the numbers Congress get in Lok Sabha elections were not yet known.
"People want a third alternative... Our focus will be to get maximum number of seats," he said.
