Mulayam takes potshot at Cong

NEW DELHI: It's now the turn of the ���friends��� of Congress to run down the 'achievements' of the Manmohan Singh government. Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday described Congress as a marginal force in Uttar Pradesh and said its government at the Centre has no lasting contribution.

���I will ask the electorate whether they can recall a single achievement of the government. Congress talks about the nuclear deal. The deal was possible only because of the Samajwadi Party���s support,��� he told a private TV channel. Mr Yadav���s assertion that the Manmohan Singh government has an unexciting track record comes at a time when Congress is once again trying to hard sell its ���aam admi credentials���.

What could also be a source of worry for Congress is the refusal of parties like SP to concede its hegemony in the ���secular��� side. That the next move of the ���political freelancers��� within the ruling side will be governed by cold calculations was evident when he questioned the way Congress treats its allies. ���Congress only wants power.���

���It thinks that I am supporting Congress because of my compulsions to keep the communal forces at bay,��� he said.
SP leaders have been quite forthright in asserting that the terms of the next alliance will be dictated by it and its allies in the cowbelt. SP, RJD and LJP have already worked out an alliance for 120 seats in the cowbelt.

That the attempt of these parties will be centred on frustrating the Congress��� revival plan is quite clear. ���Congress will not have engaged in negotiations with SP if it had a base in Uttar Pradesh. It would have no truck with other parties if it was in a position to dictate politics,��� he said. In other words, the ���allies��� of Congress are aware of the gameplan and that there could be concerted effort from the ���allies��� to thwart the Congress��� plans.

The relations with the allies will only worsen as the campaign gets underway. Congress, too, will not budge from a confrontation is evident from its decision to put up candidates against Ram Vilas Paswan and Mulayam Singh���s relatives. Congress has also fielded Salim Sherwani, who quit SP few weeks ago, in Badaun against Mulayam Singh���s nephew Dharmendra Yadav.