Cong hints at no alliance for UP Assembly polls

New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) Amid its Vice President RahulGandhi’s aggressive pitch to woo voters in poll-bound UttarPradesh, Congress party today virtually ruled out any alliancein the Assembly polls. "Our policy so far is to stand on our own feet. We havenot given much thought to the issue," party General SecretaryGhulam Nabi Azad said while talking to reporters along withUPCC Chief Raj Babbar. He was asked whether the Congress, out of power in UPfor 27 years now, would ally with any party in the Assemblypolls scheduled early next year. Replying to another question, Azad suggested he was not infavour of early declaration of candidates for UP polls. Hesaid early declaration was a "double-edged sword" which attimes helps, but at times proves counter-productive. "When the entire party leadership is approaching people(through various yatras), the issue is not relevant," he saidto the suggestion that early announcement of candidates givethem time to reach out to people. Asked about the turmoil in the ruling Samajwadi Party inUttar Pradesh, he said he foresees a "war-like situation" inthe party during distribution of tickets. "What you are seeing is just the beginning, just see howthings develop there," he said, quoting a urdu couplet,insisting there will be a "Panipat" (war) over distribution oftickets in that party. Taking a dig at the family of Mulayam Singh Yadav holdingall key posts in UP, he said the turmoil led to one"discovery" that the "chacha-bhatija share in between them 95per cent of the important portfolios, leaving just five percent for the rest." His reference was to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and hisuncle and senior state minister Shivpal Yadav being in chargeof all key ministries including Home, Finance, Cooperativesand PWD. PTI SPG TIR RGTIR