MUMBAI, February 2: Former Rajya Sabha (RS) member Chandrika Kenia has switched party loyalties yet again; this time to the Samajwadi Party (SP). After joining and deserting the Congress twice and the Shiv Sena once in a space of 12 years, Kenia today announced her decision to hitch her political fortunes on to the SP bandwagon in the presence of Mumbai unit president Abu Asim Azmi and newly appointed Member of Legislative Council Hussain Dalwai.Kenia will contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Thane constituency.
At a press conference today, she declared that she would remain with the SP and work towards strengthening the party. Citing her reasons for joining the SP, she stated, ``The Samajwadi Party is the only political party working for the down-trodden.'' Praising SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, she said, ``He has laid down his life for the minorities. He believes in action and delivers what he promises. We can trust his words. I have not seen a man as honest as Yadav'' She added, ``The allianceSena-BJP government in the state has made many false promises and is only indulging in extortion and corruption.'' She cited the destruction of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992 at Ayodhya as the reason for leaving the Sena. She clarified that she had expressed her anguish over the incident during an all-party meeting as well as in Parliament.
Kenia was earlier an activist with the Janata Party. She was also the Students Union leader in 1977-78. Her formal foray into politics began when she joined the Congress Party in 1985, and became a cabinet minister with the portfolios labour and law and judiciary.
However, she left the Congress in 1990 and contested the Rajya Sabha on a Sena ticket. She also headed the alliance wing in the Rajya Sabha. She returned to the Congress fold in 1992 when Chhagan Bhujbal, along with 21 MLAs, led a defection from the Sena to the Congress. Said Azmi, reacting to Thane party president Rajaram Salvi's defection to the BJP, ``We made Salvi the president because we thoughtthe Agri Sena (of the agri community) would oppose the Shiv Sena, but it failed to do so.'' On the issue of whether he should trust people who are joining his party after having deserted other parties, he said, ``Every member will come from some political party or the other, but we hope nobody leave this party.''
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
