AICC general secretaries, Oscar Fernandes and Tariq Anwar, told reporters here that Wednesday's meeting between the two leaders was only a ``courtsey call'' by Sonia Gandhi and no political significance be attached to it.

Fernandes and Anwar were answering a volley of questions on reports that Gowda was making moves to break away from Dal and float a regional outfit and was working towards striking a possible electoral deal with the Congress.

Anwar said Sonia Gandhi had held talks with senior national leaders, including West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu, Inderjit Gupta (CPI) and Harkishan Surjeet (CPM) and met Gowda as part of such an exercise.

``I don't think we need an alliance,'' Anwar, who is in charge of Congress affairs in Karnataka, said, and added that the Congress was ``very strong'' in the State. ``No alliance with Gowda was being thought of,'' he added.

On reports that Congress leaders in the State were opposed to any tie-up with Gowda, Anwar said the high command would not impose any alliance on any State unit. Fernandes said he also endorsed Anwar's views and stressed that no political significance should be given to the Sonia Gandhi-Gowda meet.

To a query, Fernandes said the Congress would prefer fresh polls rather than attempting to form an alternative government in the event of collapse of the Janata Dal ministry in Karnataka.