Congress reaches out to RLD with alliance offer in Punjab

The Congress is trying hard to take Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) on board in upcoming assembly elections and the party has asked Haryana leader Deepender Singh Hooda to reach out to RLD leaders and last week Priyanka Gandhi had met the Jat leader at Lucknow Airport and both of them boarded the same chartered flight to Delhi.

Sources in Delhi say that Congress has offered an alliance in Punjab with RLD if it forges an alliance with Congress in UP. The contours of the offer is not yet known but if SP-RLD talks failed then Jayant Chaudhary can come with the Congress. Till now Akhilesh Yadav has maintained that Samajwadi Party will ally with the RLD. The General Secretary of the RLD, Trilok Tyagi too has said that it is talking with the SP.

The buzz started after Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had a chance meeting with Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) President Jayant Chaudhary at the VIP lounge of the Lucknow airport.

Priyanka Gandhi was returning from Gorakhpur after addressing a rally and Chaudhary was on his way to Delhi after releasing his party's manifesto in Lucknow.


During the meeting for almost an hour on Sunday, they discussed the political situation and later Chaudhary left with Congress General Secretary in her aircraft to Delhi.

The meeting gains significance in view of reports that relations between Samajwadi Party and RLD have lately been under strain over seat sharing.

The RLD which is on the resurgence in western UP due to farmers agitation is sought after party in the state - IANS