Arjun may not find a place; SP,RJD talk outside support

Singh,who considers OBC quota in Central educational institutions as his highpoint as Human Resource Development Minister,has many critics in the party today who believe that “the mandate of the country’s youth is not for caste-based politics”.

Sources said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh too was not happy with the functioning of Singh as HRD Minister who had once even written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi,claiming that the PM had not come to his rescue during the OBC quota row.

Asked if he was keen on becoming a minister again,Arjun Singh told reporters: “It all depends on the Prime Minister and the Congress president. I have never shirked responsibility nor have I canvassed for it. I have got another three years in the Rajya Sabha. I have not decided to retire early but if it is required in the interest of the nation and the party,I can retire also. I would have no hesitation or regret… On any occasion,if the party wants to do something and I am standing in the way,I will not be there.”

On Rahul Gandhi becoming Prime Minister,he said: “Don’t call me a sycophant again. He has said he is not a contender. But I think whenever he gets this responsibility,he will do well. The party has already made it clear that Manmohan Singh is the Prime Minister.”

The government formation exercise will start on Tuesday with the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) set to elect Manmohan Singh as its leader. The CPP will also elect Sonia Gandhi as its chairperson. On Wednesday,the pre-poll allies of the Congress will meet to discuss government formation. On the demands of allies for ministerial berths,Congress sources maintained they would go by a formula of giving one berth for four Lok Sabha seats.

Meanwhile,the SP and RJD seemed reconciled to providing outside support to the next government while the Congress was learnt to have reached out to the RLD which contested the elections in alliance with the BJP and managed five Lok Sabha seats.

At the last meeting of the present Cabinet — Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today submitted the resignation of his Council of Ministers to the President — RJD chief Lalu Prasad said his party would support the government but complained thrice that he was being “humiliated on television”,an apparent reference to senior Congress leaders expressing their party’s reluctance to induct the RJD into the government.

After the Cabinet meeting,Lalu declared his party’s “unconditional support” to the government,stating it was the PM’s prerogative to decide whether it should be included in the government or not. RJD vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh maintained that the RJD should not join the government but extend outside support.

Earlier in the day,SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said in Mainpuri that his party was ready to sit in the Opposition but party general secretary Amar Singh convened a press conference later to clarify the remark and declare SP’s support to a “secular government”. Singh claimed the PM spoke to him on phone after Mulayam Singh made the remark.

On the likelihood of SP’s participation in the government,Amar Singh said: “It is for the PM to decide. We are not dying for power.” With Mulayam Singh,he had called on the PM on Sunday evening but got no invitation to join the government. He expressed the hope that the Congress would evolve some “mechanism” to coordinate with the SP at a later stage. The SP,he said,would submit a letter of support to the President whenever required.