The only thing in Congress DNA is family, says Ravi Shankar Prasad

The BJP on Wednesday took a jibe at the Congress after BSP chief Mayawati ruled out an alliance with it for the Assembly elections in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh with it, saying coalition was not a part of Congress' DNA.

"With who does the Congress enter into the coalition is entirely their business, none of ours. But in the light of the concerns and almost the pain of Mayawati ji, I can only say that coalition is not part of the DNA of the Congress. The only thing in their DNA is family," Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told a press conference.

He was responding to a question after Mayawati's announcement in which she ruled out any alliance with the Congress for the coming Assembly polls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The BSP chief's announcement comes nearly a fortnight after her statement ruling out an alliance with the Congress in Chhattisgarh where she tied up with former chief minister Ajit Jogi's party Janata Congress for the Assembly elections due next month.

The decision can also impact the opposition's plan for a grand alliance against the BJP for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.