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Ajit Singh keeping his cards close to chest for U.P. polls

Atiq Khan

Remains non-committal on joining hands with V.P. Singh

LUCKNOW: Rashtriya Lok Dal president and U.P. Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav's coalition partner Chaudhary Ajit Singh is in no hurry to open his cards on contesting next year's U.P. Assembly elections in tandem with his ally.

Instead, the RLD leader said here on Saturday that the views of the party workers in the districts would be taken into account before a final decision is taken on whether to go it alone or contest the polls as part of the RLD-Samajwadi Party combine. With time running out, Mr. Singh said the stocktaking exercise would begin next week. "The party cannot ignore the feedback from its district units as the workers are the best judge of the ground situation."

Mr. Singh said insofar as the question of forging an electoral arrangement was concerned four important conditions needed to be addressed before the deal is clinched. These conditions, according to him, were the organisational framework of the prospective poll ally, the strength of the workers, the policies pursued by it, and last but not the least, the vote bank of the political party. He said the alliance should benefit both partners.

However, he remained non-committal on joining hands with former Prime Minister and Jan Morcha convenor V.P. Singh on the issue of acquisition of farmers' land for building power projects and ultra-modern cities and apartments. Mr. Singh said the RLD was pursuing its own policy, which was that the State Government should amend its policy of acquiring farmers' land for modern structures. He said the issue had not been discussed with the Chief Minister.

Criticising the Mulayam Singh Yadav government, Mr. Singh said it was not the job of the Government to acquire land for building NRI cities, luxury villas, golf courses and apartments priced at Rs. 2 crore. "The Government should concentrate on promoting low-cost housing."

As for the performance of the government in the last three years, Mr. Singh the final verdict rested in the people's court.

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Ajit Singh keeping his cards close to chest for U.P. polls

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