Rift in INDIA bloc? SP MP claims Rahul Gandhi was scared of contesting from Amethi

Samajwadi Party MP Shiv Pal Singh Patel claimed Rahul Gandhi chose Raebareli over Amethi in 2024 as he was "so scared". He also claimed that the Congress would have won no seats in UP without the SP alliance. The Congress hit back, urging the SP to rein in such remarks.

In Short

• SP's Shiv Pal Patel says Rahul Gandhi skipped contesting from Amethi 'out of fear'
• Credits alliance for Congress winning 6 seats in 2024 LS polls in UP
• UP Congress asks Samajwadi to restrain leaders from making such remarks

Samajwadi Party MP Shiv Pal Singh Patel has claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi chose to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Raebareli instead of Amethi because he was “so scared”, and said the Congress would not have won even a single seat in Uttar Pradesh without its alliance with the Samajwadi Party.

Reacting to the remarks, Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi said Patel became an MP because of the INDIA bloc and that the SP should rein in leaders making such statements. Patel also said the Congress should not seek more than 50 seats and should cooperate instead of making what he called negative remarks.

Speaking to PTI Videos, Patel said, “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 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.”

Patel said the Samajwadi Party had extended full support to the Congress. “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.

He said, “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.”

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Samajwadi Party won 37 seats in Uttar Pradesh, including Faizabad, of which Ayodhya is an integral part, while its ally Congress won six seats. The BJP’s tally was 33 seats and the NDA’s tally was 36 seats.

Patel also commented on the Congress’s caste-based equation in appointing a Brahmin as its Uttar Pradesh unit president and a Muslim as working president.

He said, “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.”

Patel said the Congress might have a different standing in other states, but wherever it had contested alone, it had lost ground.

He said, “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.”

Responding to Patel’s comments, Awasthi told PTI, “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.”

At present, in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly, the Congress has two MLAs and the Samajwadi Party has 101 MLAs.

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