Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav has sought to scotch the spin being given to his meetings with Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav, saying that the Congress is best equipped to lead an alliance against the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.

But he added that the Congress would have to handle its leadership role with “large-heartedness”. “I don’t find anything wrong if the Congress plays a pivotal role in forming the alliance or taking the leadership role of the alliance…. But having said that they have to accept that each state has different ground realities…. The Congress will have to handle their leadership role with large-heartedness,” Tejashwi told PTI in an interview.

Ever since Tejashwi visited Lucknow this month to congratulate Mayawati and Akhilesh for stitching an alliance in Uttar Pradesh, the NDA camp has been mocking him for allegedly using arm-twisting tactics against the Congress ahead of a seats deal in Bihar. Tejashwi’s opponents renewed their attack after he attended Saturday’s Opposition rally in Calcutta.

“Akhileshji is part of our extended family and behen Mayawatiji always had cordial relations with us…. So, my courtesy calls to them should not be construed as a pressure tactic,” Tejashwi told PTI.