Rebellion brewing in UP Congress over alliance with Mulayam

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Jitendra Prasada issued a virtual ultimatum to party leader Sitaram Kesri on Saturday. If the party's central leadership proceeded with a proposed alliance with federal Defence Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav in the state, Prasada warned Kesri that he should not be held responsible for the chaos among local party workers.

A senior party functionary told Rediff On The NeT that Prasada faxed his ultimatum to Kesri on Saturday morning, after speaking to him on the phone.

Kesri, the Congress source revealed, summoned his top aides after receiving Prasada's fax to discuss the issue which is threatening to blow up into a major problem for the leadership.

Twice in recent months, Prasada has come to Delhi with his supporters and virtually gheraoedKesri in a bid to keep the party's alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party in UP intact.

Despite his aggressive insistence that the party leadership should not disturb the BSP- Congress alliance in the state, Prasada has been unable to explain BSP chief Kanshi Ram's discussions with the Bharatiya Janata Party to form a BSP government in India's most populous state.

BSP general secretary Mayawati also attacked the Congress leadership this week for not exerting enough pressure on the United Front to ensure a BSP-Congress government in UP.

The fact that Mulayam Singh is currently engaged in wooing backward caste legislators in the BSP to his side is an indication that the Congress leadership has accorded its approval for a Congress-SP government in the state. On Thursday, SP general secretary K C Tyagi acknowledged that moves were on to explore such a possibility.

Since the Congress's prospects in the Punjab assembly election are not very bright -- Kesri's detractors are planning to embarrass him after the poll results -- the Congress leader is keen to minimise the impact of the party's likely setback by bringing about a Congress-SP government in UP.