New Delhi: The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Wednesday skipped a lunch hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for INDIA bloc allies in Delhi, highlighting fresh questions over coordination within the Opposition alliance. The development came a day after SP lawmakers maintained a separate group during the Opposition's march from Parliament to Akashvani Bhavan.
The lunch was held at Sagar Ratna restaurant on Janpath. Several INDIA bloc leaders reportedly enquired about the SP's absence during the gathering.
SP leader Udaiveer Singh said Akhilesh Yadav had returned to Lucknow on Tuesday night because of commitments related to the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. "We are a regional party so we have to take care of our commitments in Uttar Pradesh," he said.
However, another senior SP MP attributed the absence partly to what he described as inadequate and delayed communication from the Congress. According to the lawmaker, the invitation reached the SP office late and was sent only through a formal communication.
He said better coordination could have allowed several SP MPs who had already left Delhi to stay back for the meeting. The MP also claimed that Akhilesh had been suffering from a high fever since Tuesday evening and had returned to Lucknow because of his health.
Despite the absence, the SP leader said the development would not affect the party's alliance with the Congress. He argued that a direct phone call between senior leaders could have prevented confusion surrounding the lunch.
This was the second INDIA bloc event in two months that Akhilesh Yadav did not attend. He was also absent from the September 29 meeting, where the SP was represented by two senior leaders. At that time, the Congress said Yadav was occupied with the nomination process for the Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh.
The SP's position was also noticeable during Tuesday's Opposition march. While Congress leaders led the protest, SP lawmakers largely maintained a separate group. They stayed towards the back of the march and later formed another group near the NITI Aayog building when the protesters reached the area around Akashvani Bhavan.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra later brought Akhilesh Yadav into the main group.
The Congress has played down the significance of the SP's absence from Wednesday's lunch. Congress communication chief Jairam Ramesh said all INDIA bloc parties had been invited, but the decision to hold the lunch was taken late on Tuesday night. He said it was therefore natural that some parties could not be represented.
Ramesh also maintained that Opposition parties remained united on issues including alleged "vote chori", the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and delimitation.
The episode comes ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, which is scheduled for early next year. Some Congress leaders privately suggested that Akhilesh could be recalibrating his political strategy ahead of the state polls.
The SP and Congress did not contest the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election as allies. At the same time, the SP's support remains important for Opposition efforts in Parliament, particularly on proposed constitutional changes linked to delimitation.
For now, both parties have publicly maintained that their broader alliance remains intact, despite visible differences over coordination and participation in recent Opposition events.
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