The Ajit Singh-led RLD is awaiting a clear signal from UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to begin seat-specific discussions for an electoral tieup with the Congress for the next year’s UP Assembly elections.
Sources said that the talks between the Congress and the RLD had not made any progress due to the absence of Mrs Gandhi from New Delhi. “The talks had been going on with Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh and others. But we were only been told by them that they will get back to us after talking to their high command,” said a senior RLD functionary.
However, sources in the RLD ruled out possibilities of seat adjustment talks having come to a dead end. “The talks have been going on but there is a clear case of delay in concluding it. We are looking ahead for Mrs Gandhi to give a clear signal. Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi too can take a lead and spell out terms for negotiations for their leaders talking to us,” added the RLD functionary.
Though there were initial setback in the RLD circle over the Congress unilaterally announcing its first list of candidates for the UP elections, the party leaders are of the opinion that only a couple of seats figure in that list from the western UP, which are non-contentious also.
“There is no problem with the Congress announcing its list of candidates. Now that Ms Gandhi is back in the country we are hopeful that talks will take place in the right direction without any further delay,” added the RLD functionary.
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Advani skips annual visit to Somnath temple
Age correspondent
New Delhi, Sept. 25
Senior BJP leader L. K. Advani on Sunday clarified that his skipping the annual ritual to go to Somnath this time “has nothing to do with any angst against Gujarat”.
Mr Advani was apparently referring to speculations doing rounds of straining of relationship between him and Mr Modi after the former announced his Yatra and the latter organised a three-day fast.
“On 25 September every year, I have been visiting Somnath but I have not gone there on Sunday as I had already committed myself to attending this function. Some people will say, I have not gone there under a design or because I am angry with Gujarat,” said Mr Advani after releasing a special issue of Kamal Sandesh a fortnightly published by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Smriti Nyas here.
The BJP patriarch further clarified: “What is there to be angry with Gujarat. No praise suffices for the governance in Gujarat. Howsoever you praise the governance in Gujarat is less. This is not the reason for my not visiting Gujarat.”