Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, miffed with the denial of alliance in Madhya Pradesh, took a potshot at the Congress over the latter’s demand for a nationwide caste-based census, saying it was a “miracle” that the grand old party supported such an exercise. He said his INDIA alliance partner supported the demand for caste census because “you won’t succeed” without the support of backward castes.

“It’s the same Congress party that didn’t give the numbers of the caste census. It is a ‘miracle’ because now everyone knows that until and unless you don’t have the support of the backward castes you won’t succeed,” he said in Bhadohi, reported ANI.

He said the votes they had been searching for weren’t in their support.

“It’s a miracle that now the Congress party wants a caste census. The Congress is now aware that the vote they were searching for is not with them anymore,” he added.

The fresh salvo comes days after the Congress said the INDIA alliance — a block of 28 opposition parties against the Bharatiya Janata Party — meant for national politics, not regional elections. The assessment came after the Samajwadi Party protested the Congress’s list of 144 candidates.

Yadav recently said the Congress had promised the party at least six seats but gave them none.

On Friday, Yadav said the INDIA alliance would never be able to defeat the BJP if “this confusion prevails”.

“The country has a big challenge (in 2024). The BJP is a big party. It is a highly organised outfit. So to take it on, there should not be any confusion in any of the constituents of the (INDIA bloc). If you take on the BJP with confusion, you will not succeed,” he said.

A day before, Yadav accused the Congress of “betrayal”.

“They held a meeting with our delegation that went on till 1 am. They assured our delegation that approximately six seats could be given to the SP. I assumed and felt assured even if the SP gets four, it would be fine with us. But when the Congress list came (on Sunday of 144 candidates), it even fielded a candidate on the seat that the SP won in 2018 in MP. So under compulsion, we also went ahead and declared candidates,” Akhilesh had said.

He said he understood that the INDIA alliance was only for the general elections after the MP incident. “When the country’s elections come, we will think over it. Then those who want seats, there is a different platform (for discussion) for it,” he added.

Madhya Pradesh will go to polls on November 17. Counting of votes will take place on December 3.