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Sunday, Oct 28, 2007
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Amar Singh: Congress targeting Mulayam

Atiq Khan

LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party national general secretary, Amar Singh, on Saturday accused the Congress of once again targeting the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh, for the party’s refusal to toe the Congress line on the nuclear deal.

He indicated that the Central Bureau of Investigation’s move to file an FIR against Mr. Singh and his kin in the disproportionate assets case was the immediate fallout of the Samajwadi Party’s ‘no’ to the Congress proposal on the nuclear deal.

Addressing the press here, the SP leader claimed that the Congress president and UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, had met a couple of party MPs and had asked for the Samajwadi Party’s support for the deal. Mr. Singh alleged that the Congress had proposed that the SP should leave the Left parties, forge an understanding with the Congress and support the deal. He added that the proposal was made in order to save the UPA government.

Stating that Mr. Mulayam Singh would prefer going to jail instead of allowing the nuclear deal, Mr. Amar Singh said he had recently apprised Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat of the Congress proposal. He said it was following his meeting with Mr. Karat and CPI General Secretary A.B. Bardhan that the threat of a CBI case had been made to Mr. Mulayam Singh.

Mr. Amar Singh accused the Congress of resorting to nuclear blackmail and said on no count would the UNPA president nor the Samajwadi Party succumb to the Congress threats.

The SP leader said while U.P. Governor T.V. Rajeswar had declined permission to prosecute Chief Minister Mayawati in the Taj Corridor case, the disproportionate assets case against Railway Minister Lalu Prasad had been dropped.

On the Tehelka expose on Gujarat riots, Mr. Amar Singh demanded that a case of criminal conspiracy should be filed against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. He also demanded an apology from the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation for declaring Gujarat as the number one developed State.

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