With 'It's Free Country' Jibe, Congress Hints Prashant Kishor Acted Solo

New Delhi: The Congress is not circling an alliance with the Samajwadi Party for the Uttar Pradesh election, suggested Raj Babbar today, adding that any talks held by his party's strategist Prashant Kishor towards a partnership were not authorized by the Congress.  

"It's a free country, he can meet anybody. I don't believe the Congress mandated him to do so (on its behalf)," Mr Babbar told NDTV today.

The former movie star is the head of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, which is due to vote within the next few months. The incumbent Samajwadi Party, headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav, has been embroiled for weeks in a tug-of-war between its president and his son, Akhilesh Yadav, who is the Chief Minister of the state.

Adding to the complexities is Mr Babbar's political past - he was a member of the Samajwadi Party before switching sides to the Congress in 2008.

Last night, Mr Kishor, who is crafting the Congress' campaign for India's most populous state and is repeatedly accused by Congress leaders of exceeding his brief, spent several hours at Mulayam Singh's home in Delhi.  Present for parts of the meeting was Amar Singh, who is one of the stress factors between Mulayam Singh and his son, Akhilesh. The former considers him a trusted aide and party asset; the latter disagrees. They disagree equally over Shivpal Yadav, who is Mulayam Singh's brother.

Till the Yadavs reconcile their difference, they are unappealing as collaborators, said Congress sources to NDTV.  But sources close to Mr Kishor said that the meeting with Mulayam Singh was about the contours of a possible "Grand Aliance" of the sort that won Bihar last year. Mr Kishor was instrumental in teaming Nitish Kumar, his former opponent Lalu Yadav, and the Congress against the BJP, whose campaign was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mulayam Singh opted out of the alliance, upset over not being given enough seats to contest - a decision that boomeranged with his party winning no seats in Bihar.

While the varying stands of Mr Kishor and Mr Babbar suggest a conflict within the Congress, the party is aware that partnering with the Samajwadi Party comes with benefits - in the last state election, Mulayam Singh won about 29 percent of the vote share and 224 seats. The Congress won only 28 seats but had 11% share of the vote.  

While an alliance could help tackle the BJP, it could also check Mayawati, the Dalit leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party, from making inroads with the sizeable Muslim population which she has been targeting in rallies.

A potential member of the Grand Alliance has been identified as Ajit Singh, who heads the Rashtirya Lok Dal, which is strong in Western Uttar Pradesh.

The interest level of all parties concerned will be tested on Saturday, when they have been invited to attend the Samajwadi Party's 25-year anniversary celebrations in Lucknow.