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Congress Working Committee member Arjun Singh on Tuesday assured Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh that his request for help in Uttar Pradesh would be discussed with party president Sonia Gandhi.
"Amar Singh apprised me of the prevailing situation in the state. I told him that in this connection you have already met the Congress president" and a decision would be taken in accordance with her wishes, he said after a meeting with the SP leader in New Delhi.
"So far we have not even discussed the UP issue with the Congress president. Whenever we take up the issue we would keep all these questions in mind that you are raising," he said when asked why the Congress was shying away from extending support for the formation of an alternative government in UP.
Asked why the Congress was not attaching significance to the issue, he said, "How do you jump to such conclusions that the Congress is not paying any attention to the issue. It is only that the discussion has not taken place so far. She [Gandhi] is on tour..."
Amar Singh said by evening the SP would have enough legislators on its side to cross the half-way mark in the 403-member assembly.
When pointed out that the party was running to the doorsteps of the Congress because it did not have the numbers to topple the Mayawati-led government, he said "The fact is that all the secular forces, right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, are making efforts to strengthen the politics of secularism. And there is nothing wrong in making such efforts."
Asked what the SP would do if the Congress refused help, Amar Singh said, "Why should I respond to this question when Arjun Sighji was saying that this issue has not yet been discussed. This is speculative question and I would not like to answer it now."
"Whether they pertain to Kashmir or to [President Abdul] Kalam sahab, Gandhi has always explored all the aspects and discussed every issue in detail and in broad perspective with each of her senior party leader before arriving at a final decision. Therefore I have no complains in this regard."
Regarding the issue of supporting the Congress during the assembly election in Gujarat, he said, "These are extraordinary situations. And we have had talks with Congress general secretaries Ahmad Patel and Kamal Nath in this context."
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