Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday said that central agencies had planned to conduct raids on the premises of Uttar Pradesh Development Council chairman Amar Singh and his friends. Stating that he had "definite information" of the impending raids he, however, refused to disclose his source and also did not name the agencies.

Talking to newspersons along with Mr. Singh and senior party leader Beni Prasad Verma, the Chief Minister alleged that the "witch-hunting" was being done at the behest of the Congress-led UPA Government. He said his disclosures last year about the phones of Mr. Singh and other Samajwadi Party leaders being tapped by Central and Delhi government officials had turned out to be true.

"Whether it was Jaya Bachchan's membership of the Rajya Sabha or allegations about me and my family members possessing property disproportionate to known sources of income, the objective is to target the Samajwadi Party," the Chief Minsiter said. He said no inquiry had ever been ordered into the source of income of Congress leaders and their lavish lifestyle.

Mr. Singh defended Natwar Singh and said that in the light of the Volcker findings no effort was being made to inquire into the role of the Congress. He alleged that Andaleeb Sehgal was being pressured to name Mr. Singh as the Congress wanted to come out clean.

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