Do you feel that more could have been done to bring around Mulayam Singh Yadav to support a Congress government for the fallout has divided the secular forces?
They have divided the secular forces. Look at how much we have given him in the last five years, which created enormous conflict in our party. Our party split (on the issue) when the Tiwari Congress was formed. We supported him when he became Chief Minister. We supported him as Defence Minister when Deve Gowda became Prime Minister. We supported him as Defence Minister when Gujral was PM. Short of writing off our party, what more could we do?

It is said that the Congress did not discuss UPwith him...
Why didn't he simply say so? He could have said I want to talk on UP and only subject to that I will support the Congress government. After all, he had been saying that the Congress should take the initiative to form the Government and he would support it. Then they said that the choice was between `rakshas' and `shaitan'. That's the worst statement to come from them. Is that the kind of talk that should take place in a mature democracy? We did more for him than was called for. A lot of people, sympathetic to him, feel betrayed today.

After Pachmarhi, your party started alluding to him as casteist and corrupt..
In my speeches, I only said that religion and caste must not be the basis of politics. I have not once said he is a casteist or a communalist. I did say that he is pursuing separatist politics. I maintain that even today. His problem is that he has taken to politics that has natural limitations. Why should we pander to his wishes indefinitely, why should he not play bythe rules of the game and be prepared to share?

It is said that the Congress too did not want to play by the rules of the game. You did not want to share power with parties which had helped bring down the BJP government?
We were just being realistic. In the last three years we have seen the dismal performance of coalition governments. The possibility of a coalition in 1999 had to be considered in the light of deep dislike the parties had felt for each other. Inside the Government there would have been greater tension (between them) than outside. That is why the Congress said that the only answer was to form a minority government. Most parties, including those that were part of the BJP government, accepted this.

SP general secretary Amar Singh has said that Sonia Gandhi probably did not understand what Mulayam told her in Hindi...
These one-liners which have no beginning and no end are meaningless. The word he used is a sanskritised one (gatirodh). What was the purpose of using it? Whatwas the next line? He must have said something after that?All I can say is that Mulayam Singh needs to get a better PR man.

It is said that Sonia Gandhi refused to meet Amar Singh...
Does that put the whole business in a good light that India's destiny and future was staked because one man in the Samajwadi Party did not get an appointment with the Congress President? Everyday the absurdity of their reasoning continues to grow. They never say the same thing two days running.

But Amar Singh is after all the office-bearer of the SP....
The office-bearer should learn to deal with our office-bearers in UP or in Delhi instead of Sonia Gandhi. We don't go round seeking appointments with the heads of other parties, only with our counterparts.

Who will be your main adversary in UP, the BJP or the SP?
Our adversary is the BJP, the SP is history.

What is your strategy in UP?
I cannot obviously say that the things have changed so much that we are the be all and the end allof secular politics in Uttar Pradesh. We are ready to fight and in a position to fight today.

If our national leadership is able to secure a joint effort amongst secular parties in UP, no doubt we will stand to gain. I use the word joint effort, as there is give and take in it. It cannot be a one-way affair.

Would you include Mulayam Singh in the joint effort?
That story is over.

Which are the secular parties with which you hope to forge a joint effort?
The BSP and the Janata Dal.

The BSP leaders have categorically ruled out any tie-up with the Congress...
This is a matter best left to the national leaderships.

So you are still hopeful?
I am not saying I am hopeful or have lost hope. This is something on which we have to keep an open mind.

Will Sonia Gandhi stand from UP?
We don't know. We have made a fervent appeal to her. She smiled but has not given an answer yet.

What about Priyanka?
That was the second smile (by Sonia Gandhi). Wehad conveyed to her that there are a large number of new voters and they are looking to Priyanka Gandhi participating in the election in one form or another.

What about a tie-up with Ajit Singh?
He is a good man. We have a commonality of approach but it is too early to say whether we will fight elections together. We have not yet reached a specific formulation that would be attractive to us.

Do you think the Videshi argument of the BJP (about Sonia Gandhi) will cut much ice?
Why should it when it did not do so in the elections in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan? It is one thing for the BJP to say this, but Mulayam Singh Yadav riding the same horse is utterly shocking.