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Friday, Apr 22, 2005

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National

Mulayam for third front formation

Special Correspondent

`BJP should sever links with RSS, VHP'

UNITED WE STAND: The Samajwadi Party chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav, (third from right), the former Karnataka Chief Minister, S. Bangarappa, the party MP, Jayaprada, and the party general secretary, Amar Singh at the 6th party convention in Patna on Thursday. Photo: PTI

PATNA: The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party president, Mulayam Singh Yadav, on Thursday called for the unity of socialist forces and formation of a third front.

Inaugurating the sixth national conference of the SP here, Mr. Yadav said the recent Assembly elections to four States, including Jharkhand, had shown that those in high posts took decisions only in the interest of their parties. He criticised the ruling party at the Centre for ``using the Jharkhand Governor for its own political interest,'' which ``has weakened the democratic and parliamentary system in the country.''

`A confrontation'

Mr. Yadav said the Jharkhand episode had created a confrontation between the legislature and the judiciary and said that it was improper for the Supreme Court to decide on how the Assembly's proceedings should be run.

He criticised the BJP for welcoming the judicial intervention ``merely because it served its political interest.'' He was also highly critical of the presiding offers of the BJP-ruled States who boycotted a meeting convened by the Lok Sabha Speaker.

Mr. Yadav assailed the RSS chief for setting a ``dangerous precedent by levelling grave charges'' against leaders of the stature of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani. The only way for the BJP to get over its internal problems and contradictions would be to sever its relations with the RSS and the VHP.The Congress, he charged, was behaving as if it had obtained a majority of its own and its acts smacked of mala fide intentions. He considered the second affidavit against the Janata Dal (United) chief, George Fernandes, as vilification.Predicting the collapse of the UPA and the NDA in the next two years, he called upon his party workers to be prepared for any such eventuality. ``There is a need for all socialists and Left parties to unite,'' Mr. Yadav said.

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