‘No alliance with Third Front if Maya joins the league’

SP described AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi's overtures to the left parties as 'the Congress' attempts to cling to power at the Centre'.

The Samajwadi Party ruled out any truck with the Third Front in the post-poll scenario if the Mayawati-led BSP was there.

“We will not have any relation with the Third Front if Mayawati is there,” said Amar Singh,general secretary of SP,which has formed a Fourth Front with RJD and LJP.

To a question,Singh told reporters here that Congress should know that former UP chief minister and BJP deserter Kalyan Singh,accused in the Babri masjid demolition case and now aligned with SP,was contesting as an Independent candidate in the Lok Sabha election.

Amar Singh calls Cong power hungry

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The Samajwadi Party described AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi’s overtures to the left parties as ‘the Congress’ attempts to cling to power at the Centre’.

“When the Lok Sabha poll is midway through,we have been noting appreciation of the left parties,particularly the CPM,by no other than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself and by Rahul Gandhi. I will ask you what does this indicate?” Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh told reporters in Howrah.

Singh was asked to comment on Rahul Gandhi’s statement at a press conference in Delhi yesterday about Congress’ willingness to tie up with left parties in a post-poll situation.

The SP leader wondered what the Trinamool Congress chief,Mamata Banerjee,would do in such an eventuality when her party is contesting Lok Sabha polls in alliance with Congress.

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“I wonder what would Mamata Banerjee do if its poll ally Congress joins hands with her arch rival — the left parties — particularly the CPI(M),after the election results are announced,” he said.

Singh was in Bengal to see the party’s state president,Vijay Upadhyaya,who was admitted to hospital with injuries allegedly inflicted by Trinamool Congress activists on Tuesday.