Akhilesh Yadav's Intention Was Right, Congress Wants To Take It Forward, Says Rahul Gandhi

Lucknow: The 'cycle' and 'hand' will together speed up the progress of Uttar Pradesh, said Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav at the joint press conference with Rahul Gandhi in Lucknow; their first since announcing a Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance. The high stakes assembly elections will be held in in seven phases starting February 11 and the leader two young leaders with the pre-poll alliance aim to bag over 300 of the state's 403 Assembly seats. Mr Yadav and Mr Gandhi are now scheduled to roll out a mega "Rath Yatra". The 6-kilometre road show will begin from the city's GPO Park near the Mahatma Gandhi statue and will end at Ghantaghar. Posters of the joint election rally surround the venue which reads "UP koh yeh saath pasand hai (UP likes this tie-up). Uttar Pradesh will vote in seven phases, results of which will be declared on March 11.

Here are the highlights of Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi's joint press conference:

Rahul Gandhi:

• This alliance is against PM Modi's politics.
• The alliance is the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna, out of which the Saraswati of development will come out.
• In PM Modi's words, this is 3Ps. This alliance is about progress, prosperity and peace.
• Akhilesh (Yadav) and I have a personal as well as a political relationship.
• I had said Akhilesh is a good boy, but he wasn't allowed to work (When asked about Congress' earlier slogan 27 Saal UP Behal)
• We want to stop the aggression that RSS-BJP is spreading and the false promises they are giving.
• We want to give the youth of UP a new path, a new politics.
• Won't reveal the campaign strategy. All those who share the same ideologies can join our campaign (When asked if Sonia Gandhi and Mulayam Singh will also campaign)
• Its a historical alliance. Samajwadi Party and Congress will form government in UP.
• Whether we will form an alliance in Lok Sabha or not is open to discussion.
• Priyanka (Gandhi) has been of tremendous help to me and so have I. Whether she campaigns or not, it's her choice. She is an asset to the Congress.
• I personally respect Mayawatiji. BSP made a government in UP and made some mistakes. But my respect for her is still intact.
• BJP makes one Indian fight against the other. Their ideology is dangerous for our country. But Mayawati's ideology is not of any danger to us. My point is - you can't compare BJP and BSP.
• This alliance isn't opportunistic. We will explain to Modiji, the BJP and the RSS that UP and its people are one. We will not let them create a divide.
• During negotiations there was posturing. He (Akhilesh) said something I said something, he pretended to be angry and so did I. it's a part of negotiations. Media should not take this too seriously.
• We have discussed the minimums of Congress that we believe in the politics of the poor. They should benefit from this.
• This is dil ka alliance hai, mil ke jeetenge (It is an alliance of heart, we will win together)
• The message to PM Modi through this alliance is that Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christians are one. We won't let Modi divide the nation.

Akhilesh Yadav:

• It is a people's alliance. There is no doubt, we will win all the seats. Development work will be faster now. Cycle and Hand is a great combination.
• Rahul (Gandhi) and I are like the two wheels of the same cycle.
• We were together in the Lok Sabha, we know each other. Now we are glad that we have to work together.
• There was a mention of 3P. Let me add the fourth one- this is people's alliance
• People will respond to those who are responsible for making them stand in queues.
• They are not satisfied with notes ban move.
• We have seen winters, summers, monsoon. We also saw yesterday's manifesto. But has anyone seen ache din as yet?
• If we tell you everything right away, there will not be any masala left (On Congress-SP seat sharing in Amethi and Raebareli)
• We have had a long relationship with her (Sheila Dikshit) and the party. What we plan to do in next elections we can't say at the moment. We'll sit and decide. (when asked about Sheila Dikshit as Chief Ministerial candidate for Congress)