NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW: Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has ruled out any talks with the BSP for a tie-up in Haryana elections next year, saying that the state he helmed for 10 years needed no ‘social engineering marvel’.“In isolation, if you take Haryana, then we don't need any alliance. The Congress is self-sufficient to win polls in the state. The cadre in Haryana can galvanise itself at the expense of the BJP,” Hooda told TOI ahead of the fourth phase of his Janata Kranti Yatra that begins on July 22.The two-time Haryana CM not only downplayed the need for any alliance, he also ridiculed the talks between the BSP and the INLD for a possible pre-poll tie-up.“The BSP did that in Karnataka and even in Punjab. These are survival tactics for any regional party when it steps out of a state. As far as the BSP’s alliance with the INLD is concerned, it is not a new development. There was a similar alliance earlier and it broke. It is going to meet the same fate again. Ideologically, they are poles apart,” he said.However, he steered clear of any comment about the likelihood of his party joining hands with Mayawati’s BSP at the national level. “As far as national-level alliance for the Lok Sabha polls is concerned, I will leave it to the Congress high command,” he said.Hooda said though he had never stood for any caste-based politics, including wooing even his own community, Jats had been deprived of a big leader of their own and Kairana bypoll victory was a result of that.“Jats are looking at a respectful leader to represent them in Rajasthan , western UP, Haryana and Delhi too. They are devoid of that. Jats were so anxious that they voted for a Muslim candidate in Kairana en masse. This despite the fact that their relations with the community had soured during the recent communal violence (in western UP). Now, they have realised they had to come together to defeat the BJP,” said Hooda.He also laughed off the ‘bonhomie’ between him and PM Narendra Modi , who has, on some occasions, gone out of his way to meet him in the Central Hall of Parliament. “Look, it started like this. At chief ministers’ conferences between 2004 and 2014, as Gujarat and Haryana CMs, we used to sit next to each other due to alphabetical placement. So, we developed a natural bonding. There is nothing kinder or harsher between us. But he and his government have been vindictive on me in CBI probes. I have nothing personal against him,” he said.Hooda also said that he disagreed with Modi's jibes at ‘dynastic politics’ in the SP, Congress and the JD(S). “In their own party, they have several men and women in the Union cabinet and MPs who have taken mantle from their fathers. Take the case of Jayant Sinha or Poonam Mahajan. My father was a politico and only I among five brothers joined politics… My son Deepender was praised by the PM and awarded by the Lok Sabha Speaker on merit. Similarly, Akhilesh is a capable leader and brought infra projects to UP. They are humble scions,” he said.

Stay updated with all the Latest Gurgaon headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.