Mulayam hints at ties with Congress to face polls
Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow
Union Defence Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav today hinted that his party many forge an alliance with the Congress in case a mid-term poll is inevitable.
''In case an election is forced upon us, I am ready for realignment of secular forces to give a blow to communal forces,'' he told Rediff On The NeT. ''Mind you, no matter how much you talk of anti-Congressism, you cannot fight communal forces without the Congress's support."
''The party can no longer be treated as an untouchable. There was a time when we professed non-Congressism under Lohiaji's leadership. But that was obviously because the Congress then ruled the entire nation. Today, the times have changed and, therefore, we must not harp on any kind of anti-Congress stand, if we are committed to fighting back communal forces.''
Stressing that it was inappropriate to thrust another election on the people, the SP leader said it would be sensible on the part of both the Congress and the United Front to ''find some way out of the present impasse''.
Yadav was, however, evasive when asked whether he or the other UF constituents were inclined towards the Congress's views on reciprocal support -- the Congress had supported the UF to keep the communal forces out, and the latter should do so now. ''That is not feasible under the present circumstances,'' he said.
Asked if the Congress would support a government led by him, the defence minister said, ''No. I declined the offer when it was made to me in the past. Why should I think about it now?''
Though he has repeatedly said the Front was ''fully united'', the SP chief did not hesitate to criticise certain UF leaders whom he squarely blamed for allowing the Bharatiya Janata Party to form a government in Uttar Pradesh. ''Yet, being committed to principles, we have chosen to suffer the humiliation and continue to strengthen the UF,'' he said.
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