A few years before Rahul Gandhi began to woo Uttar Pradesh the grassroots way, Mulayam Singh Yadav was readying his son to inherit his political legacy and rule the state. So Akhilesh Yadav, as a new politician, rode a bicycle, his party's symbol, while campaigning in UP villages.  
 
Two weeks ago, the day Rahul was in Firozabad to campaign for Raj Babbar in the by-election, Akhilesh led a bicycle rally in the town - this was competition. Rahul's Raj Babbar won the seat trouncing Akhilesh's wife Dimple.
 
 The Samajwadi Party scion is smarting. "Will sharing a meal with Dalits erase their poverty?" he asks at a press conference, making it clear he is now taking on the Congress MP in Uttar Pradesh, Rahul's stated priority.
 
What has no doubt added insult to injury, is Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh saying it was Rahul's influence that enabled the Congress to wrest the seat from the SP. Akhilesh would rather describe it as: "The verdict is against me, I had won from Firozabad earlier."
 
The attack is barely veiled when he declares that he is ready for any political challenge thrown by any leader. "If it's a question of challenge, I accept it. The newspapers said Rahul Gandhi has come into politics after 32 years, and the victory of the Congress Party can be attributed to his charisma. I accept this defeat and congratulate him on the Congress victory," Akhilesh says.
 
In all the politically correct statements though, Akhilesh's basic message is: "It's between me and Rahul now."