Samajwadi Party, Congress move to rein in leaders trading barbs

The Samajwadi Party and the Congress are trying to rein in some of their leaders who are speaking out of turn trading claims and counterclaims, as the Uttar Pradesh assembly election approaches.

Between the two, leaders from the Congress have been more aggressive. UP Congress president Ajay Rai, Saharanpur MP Imran Masood and Asim Waqar, who recently joined the party from the AIMIM, are the prominent leaders making strong claims before seat-sharing talks begin.

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SP's Kairana MP, Iqra Hasan, said only Akhilesh Yadav was capable of defeating the BJP in UP. Masood responded, saying that Hasan was new in politics and no victory was possible without the Congress.

On Wednesday, SP president Akhilesh Yadav started his PDA rath yatra from Rae Bareli, the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. This seems to have made a section of Congress leaders uncomfortable. Ajay Rai said if Yadav could come to Rae Bareli, Congress leaders could go to Kannauj and Safai, the strongholds of the SP.

Top leaders from both the SP and Congress have now advised caution on speak about alliance partners, party insiders told ET.