With most exit polls nudging Congress to the fourth place in Uttar Pradesh, senior party leader Salman Khurshid on Monday said though the picture does not meet the expectation, the reality may be better than what is being predicted.
He also said that party general secretary Rahul Gandhi believed in long term engagement of Congress in Uttar Pradesh where it had been out of power for the past 22 years.
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'Congress is not a cash and carry party'
"...not a picture that meets our expectations, but I don't think it is a disastrous picture...reality may actually be better than what is being predicted," Khurshid said.
To a question on whether Rahul should share the blame if the party fares poorly in UP assembly polls, he said Congress is not a "cash and carry party".
"If you have heard his speeches, he's talked about long term engagement with UP...very critical. Nobody else went into that kind of depth and that kind of vision as Rahul Gandhi did. First time, UP electorate heard somebody speak with passion, speak with involvement and speak with commitment," the law minister said.
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'Personal preference of leaders not deciding factor'
He said Rahul's engagement in UP is the "turning point" as far as Congress is concerned in UP politics.
On the issue of post-poll alliance and statement of his cabinet colleague Beni Prasad Verma that Congress should tie up with Bahujan Samaj Party and not Samajwadi Party, he said Congress was not a party "where we have thought control."
"We certainly have ideological directions. If you are going to speak to individual leaders, they may give you personal preference. But personal preference of individual leaders is not going to be the deciding factor. The deciding factor will be an overall view that our national leadership takes," he said seeking to cap the controversy.
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