Raj Babbar dismisses speculations of grand alliance in UP

AGRA: Even the as the Congress appears to have adopted a wait and watch policy over the on-going crises in the Samajwadi Party, state president and former Samajwadi leader, Raj Babbar, on Tuesday dismissed speculations of formation of a Bihar like "grand alliance" for the UP polls by dubbing it "pre-mature and hypothetical".
An overly cautious Babber, who was suspended from the Samajwadi party in 2006 for making statements against Amar Singh, who incidentally is again on the centre stage of the Yadav family feud, refused to comment on the happenings of his erstwhile political party."I'm a responsible political leader and would not like to comment on the happenings in Mulayam Singh Yadav's family", he told TOI.
However, he said, "the talk about possibilities of forming a grand alliance with either SP or its breakaway group were too premature and hypothetical". He said as of now this issue has not been even considered in the party and the Congress would contest all the 403 assembly seats in the state. "We are preparing for contesting all the seats and no alliances are on the horizon", he asserted.
In contrast Babbar's BJP counterpart, Keshav Maurya, who was more forthcoming, said, "feud or no feud in SP, the writing in the wall is clear that the BJP is forming the next government in the state". Saying that SP is nothing but a "parivar" (family) party, Maurya said, "ab ki baar 300 paar (this time we would cross the 300 tally)".
Dismissing speculations that shift of Muslim votes from the SP to the BSP could bolster Mayawati's chances, Maurya said, "we see these parties as always one. They are together and have been pursing the policy of looting the states alternatively". He said, "people have realised that Mayawati only loves Maya and nothing more". Claiming that BSP voters had already shifted their loyalties to the BJP in 2014 elections, he said both the SP and BSP were no challenge for them. Saying that the Yadav family feud would certainly cast its shadow on governance in the months before elections, Maurya said this could also vitiate the state's political atmosphere.