Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh hinted on Saturday that he was ready to sever ties with the former Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Kalyan Singh.
Talking to journalists here, Mr. Mulayam Singh said Mr. Kalyan Singh was not a member of the Samajwadi Party; neither would he ever be inducted into the party, nor would he contest any election. Mr. Mulayam Singh said that his going along with Mr. Kalyan Singh would further harm the Samajwadi Party’s political prospects in Uttar Pradesh, as it tries to regain ground after its defeat in the recent by-elections.
“You know why Mr. Kalyan Singh will not be inducted into the party,” Mr. Mulayam said, obviously referring to the former BJP Chief Minister’s role in the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992.
Mr. Mulayam Singh said Mr. Kalyan Singh would not take part in the demonstration that the Samajwadi Party has planned for November 16 to highlight the rise in prices.
Mr. Mulayam Singh trained his guns on Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who had campaigned in Firozabad, though without naming him. The SP leader said he had great respect for the former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, but when a leader of her stature could not script the demise of the Samajwadis, what this person could do, he asked.
