New Delhi, January 1
Congress President Sonia Gandhi called up Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Mayawati late Wednesday night, ostensibly to greet her for the New Year but essentially to build bridges with her with an eye on the Lok Sabha poll.

Disclosing that she had telephoned Ms Mayawati last night, the Congress President told mediapersons today that she had actually wanted to meet the BSP leader but the latter had prior plans to visit Mumbai. This is not the first time that Ms Gandhi has called up the BSP leader. The Congress President had called up Ms Mayawati to inquire about Mr Kanshi Ram’s health over two months ago and had also sent a bouquet of flowers for him.

Ms Gandhi’s conversation with Ms Mayawati follows her telephonic conversation with DMK leader M. Karunanidhi and meetings with CPM and Lok Janshakti leaders Harkishen Singh Surjeet and Ram Vilas Paswan, respectively, as part of her efforts to forge an alternate alliance of like-minded secular parties.

The contact has been made despite Ms Mayawati’s bete noire Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav warning the Congress that it should choose between the SP and the BSP as it could not do business with both the parties. At the same time, Mr Yadav has also spoken of reviving the third front. Ms Gandhi is yet to touch base with Mr Yadav though the Congress is lending outside support to his government in Uttar Pradesh.

Ever since it became known that the Lok Sabha elections are to be advanced, the Congress President has stepped up her efforts to forge such an alliance as suggested by the Pranab Mukherjee committee, which analysed the recent Assembly results.

As for Mr Surjeet’s comment that there will be two fronts and not one alternate front, Ms Gandhi remarked, “I cannot say whether there will be one or two fronts. But talks are going on...it is best that we work together for it is only by working together can we defeat the anti-secular forces.”

Regarding her remarks in Mumbai on the issue of the leadership of the proposed alliance, Ms Gandhi maintained, “I stand by what I said in Mumbai.”

She declined to elaborate on her statement, saying that she had already said what she wished to say on this issue. Ms Gandhi also refused to react to Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray’s statement that it was willing to have an alliance with the NCP minus Mr Chaggan Bhujbal.

The Congress President is also taking proactive measures in gearing the party machinery for an advanced General Election. In an unusual move, Ms Gandhi today convened two meetings of the publicity and manifesto committees at AICC headquarters to dispel the perception that after the recent defeats, a shell-shocked Congress is ill-prepared for the Lok Sabha poll. Ms Gandhi rarely visits the AICC premises and certainly not for such meetings.

As she explained, “Elections are expected and we have to be prepared so that we are ready to face the challenge.” She said though it is still early, the party has identified issues like unemployment on which it will take on the NDA government.