Will fight with ‘full capacity’ in UP: Rahul after SP-BSP's snub

Dubai, Jan 12: On a day when the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) decided to exclude the Congress from their pre-poll alliance for the Lok Sabha polls, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said he will not be disappointed as long as they manage to overthrow the BJP.

Addressing a press conference in Dubai, Gandhi said that the leaders of the two parties "have a right to do what they want to do".

"BSP and SP have made a political decision. It's on us on how to strengthen the Congress party in Uttar Pradesh and we will fight with our full capacity," he said.

"Congress party has tremendous to offer to the people of Uttar Pradesh... I have tremendous respect for the leaders of BSP and SP, they have a right to do what they want to do," he added.

Once arch-rivals Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party announced Saturday their tie-up in Uttar Pradesh for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, sharing 38 seats each and keeping the Congress out of the alliance.

As the announcement came, the Congress prepared to go alone in the elections. However, the possibility of it taking like-minded smaller political groups along could not be ruled out.

A meeting of senior party leaders, office bearers and district and city unit chiefs has been convened in Lucknow on Sunday to give a final shape to the poll strategy and Rahul Gandhi's tour programme across the state in next few weeks.

"The Congress president's state tour will begin later this month. We are requesting him to begin from Lucknow and cover the entire state by next month. We discussed this with leaders of west UP on Friday and others have been called to Lucknow on Sunday," said a senior party leader on condition of anonymity as Congress general secretary (incharge UP) Ghulam Nabi Azad will officially speak on the party's view on the alliance and Rahul Gandhi's proposed tour programmes soon.