The SP’s route to the UPA does not seem to be smooth, given the predominant presence of elements inimical to Mulayam and Amar in the Congress.
A desperate Samajwadi Party (SP) unilaterally promised cooperation to stay in the UPA’s scheme of things, even as bickering in the predominantly-Uttar Pradesh party aggravated, with senior leader and Muslim face Azam Khan further queering the pitch after Jaya Prada’s win on his home turf Rampur.
In the midst of speculation over the Congress becoming choosy about new allies following its crossing the 200-mark, a jittery SP offered “unconditional support” to the alliance. Clearly jolted by the weakening of the newly-formed fourth front, party general secretary Amar Singh sought to attract attention of both PM Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi by reminding them how the SP bailed out the UPA government on the issue of the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Visibly incensed by a lack of response from the Congress, Amar even went to the extent of clarifying that the offer of unconditional support did not mean power sharing. “Support does not necessarily mean power play,” he said.
Amar and SP chief Mulayam Singh met the PM, but a meeting with Sonia seems far away.
Sources felt the SP’s eagerness to join the alliance was aimed at securing an honourable place for Mulayam in the UPA dispensation. An empowered Mulayam would be better placed to take on BSP chief Mayawati in UP and that could be to the dislike of the Congress that has started looking up in the state, the sources said.
The SP’s route to the UPA does not seem to be smooth, given the predominant presence of elements inimical to Mulayam and Amar in the Congress. They include his former colleagues such as Beni Prasad Verma, Raj Babbar and Salim Sherwani. On top of that, the Congress high command is wary of the hard bargaining potential of Amar that has caused discomfiture in the alliance on a number of occasions in the past.
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