Amid strains in Oppn, Cong sees 5-state poll win as 'Fevicol' for INDIA bloc

With strains appearing in the opposition bloc INDIA ahead of the assembly elections in five states, Congress sources Tuesday said the December 3 results would act as "Fevicol" for the alliance and the way forward would be chalked out soon after.

The sources said the Congress is the binding force for the opposition bloc and the stronger the Congress emerges the better for the alliance.

The Congress is hoping to do well in the assembly polls in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Mizoram.

"If Congress wins, it will strengthen INDIA bloc. Planning for the next meeting and the way forward for the alliance would be taken up after campaigning for the state polls ends on November 28," a senior party leader said.

After December 3, everyone will come together and "align like Fevicol", he said.

"Fevicol will automatically apply on the INDIA bloc parties after the December 3 results.... It will not only strengthen the Congress but the INDIA bloc as a whole," the leader said.

Congress sources also did not rule out a second edition of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, saying the idea is alive but if it happens it would be on hybrid mode.

Strains have cropped up in the INDIA bloc after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav blamed the Congress over seat-sharing for the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls.

Earlier, Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United supremo Nitish Kumar had referred to the Congress in a sarcastic manner.

The Samajwadi Party and the Congress had differences over seat-sharing for the MP assembly polls as both are fighting the state polls separately despite being part of the opposition INDIA bloc.

The Aam Aadmi Party is also contesting separately in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and friction between the partners has increased.

Congress leaders, however, maintain that the alliance was only for the Lok Sabha and not for assembly polls.

"It was clear that the alliance was for Lok Sabha polls. No one talked about state polls," a senior leader said.

"'Judega Bharat, Jeetega INDIA' slogan was for the Lok Sabha polls, no one talked about the state polls, all of them said it was for Lok Sabha polls," the leader asserted.

On Akhilesh Yadav's outburst on the Congress, a senior party leader said Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge is likely to speak to the Samajwadi Party leader and Ramgopal Yadav, but maintained that Yadav should not have used "harsh words" against the Congress.

Asked about the bloc deciding to boycott some TV anchors, the Congress said the list of anchors to be boycotted still exists "barring a few exceptions". The Madhya Pradesh Congress chief had recently given an interview to a leading anchor, whose name appeared in the list.

SP chief Yadav on Tuesday claimed the Congress wants the “Samajwadi ideology” to perish, but his party's resolve is to spread it further.

Yadav was talking to media persons after paying obeisance at Ramraja Temple in Orchha of Niwari district in Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh where the assembly polls are scheduled on November 17.

Asked about the SP and the Congress not forging an alliance for the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, Yadav said, "We are in politics because our ideology is different from them."

"Due to some circumstances, we were with the Congress. But the Congressmen realised that there was no need of socialists. That's why we were turned away," the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh said.

Yadav said that "we socialists cannot destroy our own party."

"Netaji (former UP chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav) had carried forward this ideology, for which Ram Manohar Lohia fought against Nehru (Jawaharlal Nehru). We will not let the socialist ideology end. Congress wants the Samajwadi ideology to end. Our resolve is to spread this ideology further,” Yadav said.

Yadav said the people of Madhya Pradesh want a change beyond the Congress and the BJP.