Congress appears to rule out national alliances

Much to the discomfiture of the Congress, the issue of the leadership of Mr Rahul Gandhi has come into sharp focus with Mr Nitish Kumar taking the lead on the issue of a national alliance to take on the BJP. The Congress Monday virtually ruled out an alliance with the anti-BJP parties at the national level in the next Lok Sabha polls.

AICC officials, who are openly backing Mr Kumar for his pledge to make India free of the RSS, do not want to give him space at the national level. In fact, the AICC is pointing out the regional parties’s limitations in becoming key players at the national level against the BJP. On Monday, AICC general secretary party Shakeel Ahmed said, “I am 100 per cent (sure) there will be unity. National alliance... I don’t think Nitish Kumar has said that... We had an alliance with him in the Bihar elections.”

“...Some party is very strong in a particular state but is not in existence in the neighbouring state. Alliances take place according to the circumstances in a particular state,” Mr Ahmed said.