No PM dreams, says Akhilesh Yadav; to stay put in UP

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said Saturday that he did not have any prime ministerial ambition and is happy being in Uttar Pradesh.

“Staying away from Delhi is the key to happiness because people who stay away from Delhi are happier,” he said at an event organised by a news channel. He said he had gone through all kinds of situations and emotions in the past few months, and was getting used to the churning. “This is why tension does not show on my face because I have become used to it,” Mr Yadav said.

On the alliance with the Congress party, the chief minister said that while his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, has often taken anti-Congress stand, times have changed.

“It is important to keep communal forces at bay and that is why this alliance with the Congress (was made). The initiative was taken from both sides,” Akhilesh Yadav said. “There was no compulsion for us to give 105 seats to the Congress, but it reflects our large-heartedness. Both parties will benefit from the alliance and we will together form the government again,” he said.

The chief minister denied that he was funding the Congress’ campaign in the state. About his father’s reaction to the alliance, Akhilesh Yadav said, “He was initially angry, but later agreed when I explained my point of view.”

There were reports that Mulayam Singh Yadav might join the campaign. “Netaji’s (Mulayam Singh Yadav) blessings are with us. About his presence in the campaign, it is up to him to decide.”