Amar announces launch of Lok Manch

LUCKNOW: Nearly six months after his expulsion from Samajwadi Party, Amar Singh today announced launch of Akhil Bharitya Lok Manch with himself as President and actress-politician Jaya Prada his deputy.

"As of now Lok Manch would be an apolitical organisation and I will be its president, whereas Jaya Prada would be its national vice-president", Amar Singh told reporters here.

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, the former General Secretary of the SP who sided with Singh, would be its Secretary General and Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tiwari will head the cultural wing - Sanskritik Bhartiya Lok Manch, he said announcing the executive committee members.

The former SP leader said that as he would be too busy with his responsibility as the chairman of National Federation for Smaller States, which is demanding creation of six states, Obedullah Azmi would be Lok Manch's working president.

Amar also released tri-coloured flag (consisting of red, white and green with his (Amar Singh's) photograph in the middle) of the manch which he said indicated revolution, peace and prosperity.

He said that the newly created organisation would strive for the cause of a separate Poorvanchal state.

"Eastern Uttar Pradesh, which covers 27 districts and gives 147 MLAs and 28 MPs, is lagging behind in terms of development," he alleged.

"There could a full-fledged airport for Saifai (home town of SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav), but there is no airstrip for Azamgarh, which is culturally important, but is being projected as centre of terror," he said in an apparent dig at his earstwhile SP boss Mulayam Singh Yadav.