A day after Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh parted ways with Kalyan Singh, the former Bharatiya Janata Party leader accused him of being an opportunistic politician and stressed the need to strengthen the Hindutva ideology, as well as the “nationalist ” Bharatiya Janata Party. Signalling his return to the Ram temple agenda, he said he would visit Ayodhya soon.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kalyan Singh’s son, Rajveer Singh, resigned as the national general secretary of the SP and from the primary membership of the party.
Addressing journalists at his residence here on Sunday, Mr. Kalyan Singh described his friendship with Mr. Mulayam Singh and the subsequent campaigning for the SP in the Lok Sabha and the recent UP bypolls as the biggest mistake of his political life.
He expressed regret at reposing faith in a person like the SP chief, who only had the “interest of his family in mind.”
Stating that he had been deceived by Mr. Mulayam Singh, Mr. Kalyan Singh said he was ‘used’ by the Samajwadi Party.
He regretted having parted ways with the saffron party and said he was ready to undergo ‘penance’ and strengthen the BJP from outside.
Hinting that his return to the BJP was possible, Mr. Kalyan Singh said that all options were open before him and a decision would be taken after discussions with his supporters.
He said the temple can be constructed only by the BJP government.
He lauded RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat’s efforts to strengthen the BJP but said he has had no talks with him
Criticising Mr. Mulayam Singh for holding him responsible for the SP’s rout in the recent by-elections, he said the Muslim and some Lodh voters might have deserted the SP in the Firozabad Lok Sabha bypoll. However, 40 per cent Yadavs, the OBCs and the Vaishya voters too left the SP and this was left unexplained by Mr. Mulayam Singh.
“How did the SP lose Etawah and Bhartana, considered to be Mr. Mulayam Singh’s bastions, where the Kalyan Singh factor did not work?,” he asked.
Mr. Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh had twice met him at his and his son’s residence on January 18 and 21, 2009 following which it was decided that he would quit the BJP and his son, Rajveer Singh, would be inducted in the SP. On January 22, 2009, Mr. Mulayam Singh offered his hand of friendship, which was accepted by him, he said.
Mr. Kalyan Singh said he was asked to join the SP but he turned down the offer.
It was due to the Kalyan Singh factor that the SP won 23 seats, in UP in the Lok Sabha polls, the former BJP leader said.
As regards his presence at the Agra convention of the SP, he said the letter of invitation was sent by Ram Gopal Yadav and on stage pro-Kalyan Singh slogans were raised by Mr. Mulayam Singh himself.
He said Mr. Mulayam Singh had earlier deceived Raj Babbar, Beni Prasad Verma, Mohammad Azam Khan and even the Communist Party of India. He lauded the Congress for having “understood Mulayam.” Stating that it was for the Hindus and Muslims to decide where Mr. Mulayam Singh stood, he predicted that the SP tally would shrink to within 50 in the next Vidhan Sabha polls.
Published - November 16, 2009 01:18 am IST
