New Delhi, July 17 - The Congress Friday said Uttar Pradesh party chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi's remark against Chief Minister Mayawati would not hamper the party's efforts to woo Dalits in the state.

'As far as the effect of this issue is concerned, it will be short lived and not be an impediment to our efforts to get Dalit voters to our fold,' a senior Congress leader who is a union minister said when asked if he saw the episode hampering the Congress's efforts to make inroads among Dalits.

The party has dissociated itself from Joshi's remark. Congress general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi quoted Sonia Gandhi as expressing 'deep pain and anguish' over the events in Uttar Pradesh, including Joshi's remarks.