The Hindu : National : Paswan to host V.P. Singh birthday party

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Sunday, Jun 25, 2006

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Paswan to host V.P. Singh birthday party

Sandeep Dikshit

"A social gathering of political leaders"

NEW DELHI: Lok Janshakti Party leader and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan would host a dinner for the former Prime Minister V. P. Singh's 75th birthday on Sunday. Mr. Paswan said that the party would be a "social gathering of political leaders from all parties" where "politics could be discussed."

Mr. Paswan told The Hindu that he had invited "everyone" for the gathering including Samajwadi Party chief and U.P. Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L. K. Advani. Mr. Paswan said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would also be part of the celebrations while Ms. Gandhi would confirm her participation on Sunday owing to previous engagements in a neighbouring state.

"This is a social gathering. The aim is not to discuss U.P. elections. But when leaders are there, politics is bound to be discussed," he said while on his way to the first V. P. Singh led Jan Dal rally in western U.P along with Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja and dissident SP MP Raj Babbar. Mr. Paswan said he wanted "all political leaders" including the CPI(M) and Congress to join the proposed alternative front and hoped they would attend the next Jan Dal rally at Ghaziabad on July 8.

However, Mr. Paswan is not the only one felicitating the former Prime Minister on Sunday. Surendra Mohan, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, National Democratic Alliance leader and former Union Minister Sharad Yadav, journalist Prabhash Joshi, CPI (M) leaders Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury , A. B. Bardhan and Mr. Raja of CPI along with Mr. Paswan will felicitate Mr. Singh.

LJP activists said that the party has been arranged against the backdrop of the Jan Dal having organised a rally on May 30 in Lucknow which was attended by Mr. Bardhan, Mr. Raja, Abani Roy (Revolutinary Socialist Party), Mr. Raj Babbar, farmers' leaders including Rakesh Tikait, son of Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Mahendra Singh Tikait and several State level leaders like U. P. Minister and former CPI leader Kaushal Kishore, former Union Minister Rashid Masood , Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) leader Akhilendra Pratap Singh besides activists and a State Minister belonging to the Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh's camp. Leaders from the CPI(M) and the SP did not attend the rally where speakers targeted the Mulayam Singh Government.

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