Admitting that the Congress position in Uttar Pradesh is weak, senior party leader Kapil Sibal on Monday regretted that the party could not seal a pact with the Samajwadi Party for the forthcoming Lok Sabha election.
"We have no hesitation in accepting that we are weak in UP as compared to other states. What we want in UP is to avoid a split in secular votes. Such a situation would benefit us as well as other secular parties, but it looks like the SP wants to go alone, the reason for this is best known to them," Sibal said.
"We have no hesitation in acknowledging publicly that our efforts for UP have disappointed us. Was there to be an alliance in UP, the Congress' return to power at the Centre would have been a foregone conclusion.
"But if that is not materialising, we are going to fight on our own. Our party surveys tell us we are to get around 18 per cent votes in that state," Sibal told BBC's Hindi programme 'Aapki Baat BBC Ke Saath.'
Asked why the Congress tried for an alliance with both the SP and the Bahujan Samaj Party, the party spokesman said: "We were clear on this thing that the Samajwadi Party has something in mind and they might not like a secular alliance in UP.
"The reason for our understanding is the behaviour of SP in Parliament. When the entire opposition was one in boycotting Defence Minister George Fernandes, SP was the only opposition party which did not join the boycott.
It was the SP which did not support the no-confidence motion of the opposition. All this shows the pro-BJP stance of this party.
"Despite all this the Congress supported Mulayam Singh in forming the government in UP. They know that this government could not have been formed without the Congress support. On the other hand, we tried for an alliance
with the BSP, because this alliance would have been capable of defeating the BJP, but it seems Mayawati is afraid that
the CBI might be used against her. Therefore, she did not come forward for the alliance.
"Still, we are saying that all the parties who are secular should come together in UP. If this does not happen, then the people of the country would decide on the secular credentials of the contesting parties, and also about those hobnobbing with the communal forces," Sibal said.