The Hindu : Laloo attacks Mulayam Singh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 15, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Laloo attacks Mulayam Singh

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 14. The Rashtriya Janata Dal chief, Laloo Prasad Yadav, has accused the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav, of being a "BJP agent."

Speaking to newspersons, the RJD chief said that Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav was trying to divide the secular vote in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Cautioning the people against falling a prey to Mr. Yadav's `scheme of things', the RJD chief said that while he was working to unite the Opposition so that the BJP could be defeated "Mr. Mulayam is acting on the BJP and George Fernandes' orders to divide the secular votes."

Mr. Laloo Yadav appeared upset at the Samajwadi Party's decision to contest 250 Lok Sabha seats and 40 seats in Bihar and his refusal to field a unified Opposition candidate against the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

He denied that he had prevented the SP chief from becoming the Prime Minister in 1998.

``He is lying," he said, and charged Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav with sabotaging the chances of an alternative government being formed at the Centre after the fall of the Vajpayee Government. "He went out of his way to prevent Sonia Gandhi from becoming the Prime Minister." Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav paid lip service to secularism and used parties such as the CPI (M) to gain credibility. "

He said that the SP chief harboured prime ministerial ambitions and was also "being blackmailed" by the BJP to wreck the Opposition's attempt to unite.The RJD chief charged Mr. Mulayam of having caused damage to the relations between the Dalits and Backward castes by trying to humiliate the BSP chief, Mayawati.

Mr. Laloo Yadav said that he would meet the Congress leadership to wrap up the seat-sharing arrangement in Bihar. He appealed to all the secular parties in the State to base their demand for seats on a realistic appraisal of the ground realities. He expressed the hope that secular parties would be able sort out the seat-sharing arrangement in Bihar and Jharkhand. He made it clear that while he was prepared to accommodate all the secular parties as long as they were reasonable in their demand for seats.

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