Amar Singh is back to old ways

Some things never change. Back in India on Sunday after convalescing for three months following a kidney transplant operation in Singapore, Samajwadi Party (SP) general secretary Amar Singh seemed a changed man.

Appearing philosophical, he said, “Mulayam Singhji and Amitabh Bachchan, who is like an elder brother to me, had repeatedly told me to take care of my health. I had ignored their advice. But today I realise the value of what they said.” Singh even said that from now on it will be health over politics for him. But barely 24 hours later, Singh was doing what he does best — expounding conspiracy theories in front of a battery of television cameras. He alleged that the Congress was purposefully preventing party chief Mulayam Singh from getting an official bungalow.

“Some senior leaders in the Congress have influenced JP Agarwal (chairman of the housing committee for the Lok Sabha and Congress MP) against allotting an official accommodation to Mulayam Singh," he said at his Lodhi estate home. "So many months have passed, but Mulayam Singhji has not been allotted an official accommodation,” he rued.

As a former defence minister, Mulayam is entitled to a type VIII (biggest in size) bungalow and, he was allotted one at Kautilya Marg. But the bungalow was part of judges' accommodation pool and Mulayam had to do without an official residence.
“The Congress has nothing to do with this. As soon as another type VIII bungalow is available it will be allotted to Mulayam,” clarified Agarwal.