Author: Pioneer News Service
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: February 12, 2009
URL: http://www.dailypioneer.com/155964/Congress-cheats-allies-uses-and-throws-them-says-Amar.html
The Congress and the Samajwadi Party continued
to trade charges on Wednesday even as the seat-sharing dialogue has come to
a halt and both sides seem to be exploring other options. SP general secretary
Amar Singh would meet Sharad Pawar on Thursday to discuss the possibility
of forging together an alternative alliance.
While the SP accused the Congress of adopting
a "use and throw" policy with its allies, the latter hit back, saying
"problems" with an ally arise when it starts mixing up personal
(Mulayam's disproportionate assets case) issues with politics.
"When the utility is over, they (Congress)
do not even recognise (their allies). That is clearly visible," Amar
Singh told reporters in Mumbai. He recalled that the cases against BSP supremo
Mayawati vanished after her party supported the Congress in the presidential
election.
"Once elections are over, they resurface,"
he said, adding that he was no friend of Mayawati. Citing another instances,
he said cases were slapped depending on the Congress' relationship with the
other party.
"When the relationship with Left sours,
the CBI is after CPI(M)'s Pinarayi Vijayan. From Vijayan of Kerala to NCP's
Praful Patel of Maharashtra, from SP's Mulayam Singh in UP to RJD's Lalu Prasad
in Bihar...," he said.
While the SP announced its decision to field
its State party chief Abu Azmi as a candidate against the Congress' sitting
MP Priya Dutt from the Mumbai (north-west) constituency, Amar Singh made it
known that his party would be initiating seat-sharing talks with the NCP,
an alliance partner of the ruling Congress both at the Centre and in Maharashtra.
"Pawar has taken the initiative and invited
us for a meeting in the Capital on Thursday to discuss the issue of having
a pre-poll alliance with us for the Lok Sabha polls. We will attend it. The
NCP has emerged as a strong political party in Maharashtra. An Alliance between
the SP and the NCP is mutually beneficial. While we can seek their support
in Maharashtra, the NCP can get our support in Uttar Pradesh," Singh
said.
Singh, however, did not elaborate if parties
other than the SP had also been invited by Pawar for the pre-poll alliance
talks on Thursday. Pawar's initiative should be seen in the light of the fact
that he had said a fortnight ago that he would soon hold talks with CPM general
secretary Prakash Karat to explore the possibility of forming a secular front
ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Given that Pawar has not taken kindly to the
Congress' decision to go it alone in the Lok Sabha polls at the national level,
even while having "State-specific" alliances with other political
parties, including its UPA partners at the Centre, it remains to be seen if
the NCP chief's latest initiative is either aimed at cobbling a non-Congress
and non-BJP alliance - which is in effect floating a third front -- for the
Lok Sabha polls or just keeping the SP leadership in good humour vis-à-vis
the Congress.
In Delhi, speaking to reporters on Amar Singh's
public outburst against the Congress, Congress general secretary Digvijay
Singh said: "When personal issues override political issues, problems
arise." Amar Singh had on Monday accused the Congress of using the CBI
as a "sword" against his party chief, Mulayam Singh, during the
current seat-sharing talks.
Speaking to The Pioneer, Digvijay Singh said:
"As far as we are concerned, the alliance is still on. We want an alliance
with the SP in Uttar Pradesh." Congress heir apparent Rahul Gandhi also
said the talks were still on with the Samajwadi Party.
