Terming Amar Singh an asset for the Samajwadi Party, former BJP leader Kalyan Singh, who recently parted company with Mulayam Singh Yadav, on Monday claimed the SP supremo cannot do politics without him.
“Amar Singh is very good leader, orator and excellent political manager. Mulayam Singh Yadav cannot do politics without him,” Mr. Kalyan told PTI while reacting on the ongoing tussle within the SP.
Attacking the SP chief he said, “Treachery, cheating and opportunism is the second name of Mulayam. He is in habit of making friends for personal benefit and deserting them later.”
He claimed Amar Singh was piqued with the situation within the party. “Amar had told his feelings to me several times in the past. Some leader had created insulting situation for him in the party. May be this was a reason behind resigning from all the party posts,” he said.
Defending Mr. Singh, who had been attacked by some workers for the SP’s defeat in Firozabad, Mr. Kalyan said the decision to field Dimple Yadav was that of Mr. Yadav and not that of Mr. Singh. “I would like to clarify the situation. It was Mulayam, who met me in Delhi and said that he wanted to field his bahu (daughter-in-law) from Firozabad. He in fact asked me to talk to Ram Gopal Yadav and Amar Singh in this regard,” Mr. Kalyan said.
The former BJP leader, who recently launched a new political outfit Jan Kranti Party, said instead of blaming others for his party’s defeat, the SP supremo should admit this fact. “How can Amar Singh or Kalyan be blamed for the party’s (SP) defeat in Firozabad or Etawah or Bharthana. Instead of blaming others Mulayam should give a serious thought to his style of working,” he said.
Mr. Kalyan said statements that Amar was the factor behind his friendship with Mulayam were baseless and far from truth. “It was Mulayam Singh who had come to my Delhi residence on January 18 last year and said that he wanted me to join SP, which I refused. Incidentally, Amar Singh accompanied Mulayam during that visit,” he said.
Kalyan claimed the statement that he attended Agra convention of the SP without any invitation was wrong.
“I received a letter from Ram Gopal Yadav requesting me to attend the convention on the ground that the workers will learn something from my political experiences. Even Mulayam Singh raised slogans in my favour,” he said.
On the possibility of inviting Amar Singh to join his new political party, Kalyan said it was hypothetical at this juncture. “Amar Singh is not a petty leader. He himself will decide his future course of action,” he said.
