The Hindu : Front Page : In U.P., Congress looks beyond July 22 vote

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In U.P., Congress looks beyond July 22 vote

Atiq Khan

LUCKNOW: Having set its sights on the next Lok Sabha election, the Congress is looking beyond the July 22 trust vote in Parliament in its bid to strengthen the base in Uttar Pradesh.

After roping in the Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh and possibly the Rashtriya Lok Dal president Ajit Singh to the cause of the nuclear deal, the Congress has pinned its hope on the two leaders to clinch an electoral adjustment with the two parties in the country’s largest and politically the most significant State.

AICC general secretary and in charge of the party’s U.P. affairs, Digvijay Singh, said here on Friday that the party can have an alliance with the SP and RLD to stop the communal forces from coming to power. The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister added that although the Congress was preparing to contest all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh “if there is a need for political adjustment to defeat the communal forces it would be given a serious thought.”

Mr. Digvijay Singh, however, said that talks on an alliance with the two parties had not been initiated. He appreciated Mr. Mulayam Singh’s decision to support the nuclear deal and said he had understood the deal in its right perspective.

Mr. Digvijay Singh, who has been a strong votary for a political adjustment with the SP ( and the RLD), attacked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo, Mayawati, for politicising the CBI charge sheet against her in the disproportionate assets (DA) case.

Ms. Mayawati posed the biggest threat to the Congress in her home State, which explained the Congress leadership’s desire to clinch a deal with the SP and the Rashtriya Lok Dal.

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