The Hindu : National : SP declines offer to join Manmohan government

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SP declines offer to join Manmohan government

Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI: With elections in mind, the Samajwadi Party on Saturday said it preferred not to join the government despite an offer from United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. For the Uttar Pradesh-centric party, facing the challenge of Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party is more important at this point of time than joining the government “when the time [for general elections] is short.”

At the same time, the party said it would contest the next Lok Sabha elections with the Congress and would work towards strengthening the alliance.

Both the parties are meeting here on Monday to decide the seat-sharing arrangement for the next general elections in Uttar Pradesh and a few other States. Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi will join the discussions.

“We were invited by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to join the government but we politely declined because we feel that the challenge of communalism and casteism is bigger. We want to concentrate on strengthening the alliance,” said SP general secretary Amar Singh.

The first meeting of the UPA-SP Coordination Committee was chaired by Ms. Gandhi and attended among others by Dr. Singh.

SEZs discussed

He said a lot of subjects such as the special economic zones and “other administrative issues” were discussed during the two hour-long meeting, which was held in a “cordial atmosphere.”

“Elections are a bigger challenge than joining the government. We are single-minded about winning elections,” said SP president Mulayam Singh, adding that “the next time we will accept.”

The declaration ends weeks-long speculation triggered in the wake of the SP supporting the government during the trust vote in the Lok Sabha.

Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Prithviraj Chavan, who addressed the media along with the SP leaders, released a joint statement that said the discussions were “cordial” and many matters of “political coordination and general policy” were discussed.

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