New Delhi: Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal on May 31 welcomed Congress president Sonia Gandhi's Srinagar statement on the possibility of forging a grand alliance with them in Uttar Pradesh, even as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dismissed it as "day dreaming".

"We welcome Soniaji's statement. We express our thanks to her. Her decision on grand alliance with Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and other forces would have far reaching consequences in the secular polity of the country", SP leader Amar Singh said.

RLD president Ajit Singh, who quit the Union Cabinet and pulled out from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)- BJP coalition in the state, said Gandhi's statement has "further raised our hopes about dislodging Mayawati government".

BJP general secretary and spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters, "The Opposition is desperate and frustrated over its failure to oust the Mayawati government. Hence, they are indulging in daydreams. All their past attempts have failed, so will it be in future."

Asserting that the coalition government in the state would complete its full tenure, Naqvi asked the Opposition to abide by the people's mandate to sit in the Opposition and play a constructive role.

Indicating a possible split in the RLD, Naqvi also expressed scepticism on whether party MLAs would abide by Singh's decision to withdraw support to the coalition.

PTI