'Rahul was scared to fight from Amethi in LS polls' remark by SP draws Cong's ire

"Rahul Gandhi was reluctant to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Amethi," says Congress ally.

NEW DELHI: Strain deepened within the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance ahead of Uttar Pradesh polls, with SP MP Shiv Pal Singh Patel in an off-the-cuff remark claimed that Rahul Gandhi was "reluctant to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election" from Amethi and chose Raebareli because he was "so scared".Patel, who represents Pratapgarh, also credited the SP-Congress alliance for the Congress's six Lok Sabha wins in Uttar Pradesh, arguing that the party would have drawn a blank in the state without SP's support.Speaking to news agency PTI, Patel said the SP leadership had to persuade Gandhi to contest from Raebareli after he appeared unwilling to fight from Amethi, the traditional Gandhi family constituency."Had there been no alliance (with the Samajwadi Party), they (Congress) wouldn't have won a single seat. It even reached a point where their top leader Rahul Gandhi was ready to give up his seat.

He contested from elsewhere (Raebareli) instead of Amethi. He was so scared," he said.The leader futher added: "It was our national president who reassured and persuaded him, asking him to contest and warning that if he didn't, he (Akhilesh) would field his own candidate. Only then did Gandhi agree to contest. Otherwise, he was extremely reluctant to run for that traditional seat, the one said to belong to the Nehru family.

Gandhi only managed to win it because of that persuasion," he said.

Patel credits SP for Congress wins

Patel said SP voters backed Congress candidates in constituencies allotted to the Congress under the alliance arrangement."Every single vote from the Samajwadi Party went to the Congress wherever they were allotted seats. That is precisely how they managed to win those six seats," he said.The SP won 37 of Uttar Pradesh's 80 Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 elections, while Congress won six.

The BJP won 33 seats, while the NDA's tally in the state stood at 36.Patel said the difference in the two parties' performances should be reflected in any future seat-sharing discussions."We secured 37 seats. We are far ahead of the Congress in every respect. They shouldn't ask for more than 50, and should feel happy. The Congress should cooperate, rather than making all sorts of absurd or negative remarks," Patel said.

SP MP dismisses Congress's caste strategy

Patel also criticised the Congress's reported caste strategy in Uttar Pradesh, including its appointment of a Brahmin as state Congress president and a Muslim as working president."This will not yield any benefit. Look, Dalits were with Mayawati, but they have now shifted to our side. They realised that there was no significant upliftment of Dalits during the Congress regime, and certainly none is happening under the BJP.

Whereas, during the Samajwadi Party's tenure, everyone gets equal opportunities. Everyone gets an equal chance to progress; their children get a chance to receive an education.

"He added, "That is precisely why the party was named 'Samajwadi'. Our party operates based on the ideals of (Ram Manohar) Lohia-ji. Our party's objective is the welfare of all sections of society."The SP currently has 101 MLAs in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly, while Congress has two.Patel said the SP could benefit from continuing its alliance with Congress, but argued that the Congress would suffer more if it contested elections without its regional ally."If we proceed with an alliance, we will certainly benefit. Even if it doesn't happen, we won't have any significant loss. But for them, the tally will drop to zero. I can say this with confidence: if they don't contest as part of an alliance, they will end up with zero seats.

The public will realise they are fielding candidates solely to split votes. If they act as vote-spoilers, they will be reduced to zero," Patel said.

Congress hits back

Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi pushed back against Patel's remarks and said the SP should rein in leaders making such statements."The Samajwadi Party must work to rein in leaders who make such statements. It is because of the INDIA bloc that he (Patel) has become an MP. He should know his limits and avoid making statements like these," Awasthi told PTI.