Home India Politics Samajwadi Party undecided on continuing support to Congress

Samajwadi Party undecided on continuing support to Congress

By IANS,

Agra : The Samajwadi Party is undecided whether it should continue supporting the Congress at the centre while its leaders are sharply critical of the government for its economic policies and “political blunders”.

In the political and economic resolutions adopted at the Samajwadi Party’s three-day national convention here, there were no clear indications or directions Friday, though there was a long list of charges and critical comments that virtually bordered on a “no-confidence and betrayal (by the Congress)”.

The Samajwadi Party has extended outside support to the new Congress-led government, but has been nursing a grouse that the party decided to go it alone in the Lok Sabha polls while Samajwadi leaders were still in talks for seat sharing.

Partymen expected that the convention might announce withdrawal of support to the Congress-led government, but the party is still undecided about it.

Senior leaders Janeshwar Mishra and Mohan Singh criticised the Congress for its “lop-sided economic policies” and a “series of political blunders”.

Former BJP leader Kalyan Singh expectedly attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological forebear Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and made efforts to present himself as a “friend of the Muslims.”

Kalyan Singh was Uttar Pradesh chief minister and in the BJP when the 16th century Babri Masjid was demolished in Dec 1992 by Hindu zealots allegedly owning allegiance to the RSS.

For most part of the second day Thursday, the conference trained its guns at the Mayawati government in the state.

The conference delegates are anxiously waiting for party chief Mulayam Singh’s official announcement of a detailed agitation plan, besides a programme to court arrest en masse, against the government.

In his presidential speech, Mulayam Singh had called for a war against the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party.

Party general secretary Amar Singh, through video conferencing from Singapore where he is recuperating after a kidney transplant operation, urged the leaders to be patient on the issue of support to the Congress though he minced no words in attacking the party.

Citing an episode from the Mahabharata, Amar Singh said: “We came to the rescue of the Congress like Lord Krishna helped Draupadi, but they have betrayed us.”

He, however, said the Congress was “in love with the BSP was targeting the Samajwadi Party.”

Party leaders were comforted by the fact that the participation of youth at the convention was significantly large.