NEW DELHI, Dec 29: The Samajwadi Party chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav, today indicated that he was not averse to the idea of extending tactical support to the Congress in Maharashtra in order to contain the BJP.``But as far as Uttar Pradesh was concerned,'' he said, ``we will fight the ensuing elections as part of the United Front. We will extend support to those candidates of Janata Dal, CPI(M) and CPI, who are in a winning position from the state.''
But the SP supremo ruled out any tie-up with the Bahujan Samaj Party or the secular morcha being forged by former Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav. ``How can we have an alliance with a party which considers us as its enemy number one ?'' he quipped.
Speaking to reporters today, Mulayam also questioned the BSP's secular credentials. ``It has aligned with the BJP twice in the past. Can it still claim to be secular?'' he asked. He replied in the negative when asked whether his party would join Laloo's secular morcha. ``How can there be two secular fronts
at the same time?'' he asked in a lighter vein, adding, ``As far as we are concerned, the UF will gain absolute majority in the ensuing elections.'' He mounted a blistering attack on the BJP for its doublespeak on various issues and also for unleashing a propaganda blitzkrieg on the eve of the elections.
``Ravana had ten heads. The BJP has seven tongues, speaking in as many voices,'' he said sarcastically, referring to L K Advani's statement reaffirming his party's stand on the three shrines of Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura.
``By the time we are in the middle of Lok Sabha elections, the BJP will be left with just one issue, that of constructing temples at the three places,'' Mulayam observed, adding, ``It has nothing to do with problems such as youth, unemployment, farmers and poverty.''
He dismissed opinion polls which predicted that the BJP was far ahead of its rivals. ``According to our assessment, it will not get more than 100 seats,'' he quipped.
He also announced the appointment of Balram Singh
Yadav as one of the party's general secretaries. The former Union Minister, once a bitter rival of the Union Defence Minister, had joined the SP yesterday after deserting the Congress. ``The Congress has deviated from its policies,'' Balram said.
Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
