The Congress told its cadres in UP to be prepared to contest the next general election on their own as the party’s relations with the SP teetered on the brink.
The Congress on Tuesday told its cadres in Uttar Pradesh to be prepared to contest the next general election on their own as the party’s relations with the Samajwadi Party teetered on the brink.
On a day of acrimony and bitter exchanges between the two sides, angry Samajwadi Party MLAs also forced UP governor T Rajeshwar to abort his address to the assembly (full report, p11).
In the capital, Samajwadi general secretary Amar Singh accused the Union government of misusing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to fix Mulayam Singh Yadav in a case of disproportionate assets.
A stark indicator of the deteriorating ties came from Amar Singh when, for the first time since the two parties came together six months ago, he criticised Sonia Gandhi and accused Rajeshwar of acting as her factotum in the state.
“He is serving the political interests of his masters,” Amar Singh said. “He approached me on behalf of the Congress president last summer.”
Senior Congress leader Satyavrat Chaturvedi wondered why the Samajwadi Party leadership was scared of the CBI. “What are they scared of,” he said. “Do they have something to hide?” Amar Singh reacted by calling Chaturvedi a mad man.
Mulyam assets case irking SP
The Congress has told its workers in Uttar Pradesh to be prepared to go it alone in the next general election in Uttar Pradesh, underlining its deteriorating ties with the Samajwadi Party.
Privately, senior Congress leaders attributed the Samajwadi Party’s aggressiveness to the developments in the disproportionate assets case against Yadav, which is being heard by the Supreme Court. “The real issue is the case,” a member of the Congress working committee (CWC) said. “They want us to arm-twist the CBI and bail them out.”
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh urged the Samajwadi leadership not to mix personal issues with politics. “If they are genuinely concerned about keeping out communal forces, they must join hands and help us,” he told reporters.
Senior Congress leaders said the party was deliberately keeping its response low key as it does not want to precipitate a breakup before the final session of Parliament ends on February 26.
A love-hate relationship
April 1999: SP refuses to give letter of support to Congress to form the government
2003: Congress lends support to Mulayam Singh Yadav to form the government in UP
Nov 2003: Congress withdraws support to Mulayam Singh’s government
May 2004: Congress spurns SP’s offer to join UPA; SP decides to give “outside support” to the UPA government
Feb 2007: SP withdraws support to the UPA government
July 2008: SP decides to back the UPA government again
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